All Chapters of The Gardenias Withered By His Favoritism: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

When the car pulled into our apartment complex, my boyfriend, Jax Vance, and my best friend, Chloe Ward, were still chatting in the front.They were talking about a new movie that came out last week.Jax had promised to take me to see it. Then he canceled, claiming he had to work late.Now, they were debating the tragic plot and female solidarity.I lost count of how many times I had been shut out like this.Even now, I sat in the back like a useless third wheel.Eventually, their chatter died down.Jax glanced in the rearview mirror and frowned."Why haven't you gotten out yet?" he asked.I looked up and kept my voice flat. "You didn't unlock my door."Jax fell silent.Chloe quickly jumped in to smooth things over."Oh, it's my fault! I get so carried away talking."She leaned over the center console and hit the door switch. She knew exactly where it was.Jax bought this car with his very first bonus.Back then, he held my hand and promised I would never have to squeeze

Chapter 2

Mr. Landon sighed and stopped trying to change my mind.The front door unlocked with a faint click.Jax stepped into the apartment just in time to catch my last sentence."What decision?" he asked."Nothing."He didn't bother following up.He walked over to the coffee table, holding a small package.He sliced it open and pulled out a velvet box. Inside was a Van Cleef & Arpels ruby bracelet set.He looked up at me. "Is the bracelet pretty?"That exact bracelet had been sitting in my online wishlist for over a year.Every time I showed it to him, he brushed it off. He called designer jewelry a waste of money and a scam.He told me I was too low-key for tacky, flashy things.I thought he just didn't care. I never expected him to actually notice.Before I could feel touched, his next words shattered my delusion."You and Chloe are close," he said. "Do you think she'll like it?"My heart froze. I nodded slowly."She'll love it."Maybe he sensed my mood shift because he

Chapter 3

The next morning, I went straight to the office.I left my resignation letter and handover documents right on the HR manager's desk.When I stepped back into the hallway, Chloe ran over and wrapped her arm around mine."I still can't believe Jax forgot about your mango allergy!" she chattered. "I gave him a total earful on the ride home!"She puffed out her cheeks and did a fake cute punch in the air.Yet he remembered your sensitive stomach, I thought to myself. He remembered you couldn't handle ice.The words almost slipped out.I bit my tongue. It felt too bitter, too desperate.I gently pulled my arm out of her grip."We didn't fight," I said flatly. "I'm just tired."Chloe didn't seem to notice my coldness. She kept looking at me with wide, concerned eyes."Then get some rest! I'll take you out for a huge dinner tonight to make it up to you!"Looking at her bright, innocent smile, my stomach turned.When she first moved to the city, I felt protective of her. I wanted

Chapter 4

I calmly explained what had happened.Part of me maliciously wanted to see Jax call Chloe out.Jax hated bad workplace ethics more than anything. He despised lazy people who dumped their work on others and stole credit.When he first started out in corporate, he had suffered plenty from toxic supervisors doing just that.Instead, Jax shot me a cold, disgusted glare."Chloe is your manager," he snapped. "She assigned you a task. Since when do you have the right to refuse?"You've been at this firm for six years and you're still a low-level worker," he sneered. "Don't you ever wonder why?"It's because of this trash attitude," he scoffed. "You throw a fit once real work lands on your desk!"A bitter laugh escaped my throat.Every single peer who joined the firm at the same time as me had moved up to team lead, even those with lower sales numbers.I was the only one stuck at the bottom.New hires didn't know the truth. Did Jax really not know?Chloe gently patted Jax's arm,

Chapter 5

My resignation required a one-week notice period for handover.I booked a hotel near the office for the week.Once news of our breakup spread, my coworkers started looking at me differently.Assuming I was just a slacker who got in through the back door, they began icing me out.They dumped all the tedious chores onto my desk, from printing files to running coffee errands.Mr. Landon knew the truth about my departure and occasionally spoke up for me.That only made the rumors worse.People started gossiping that Jax dumped me because I was sleeping with Mr. Landon.It didn't matter that my manager was happily married and treated everyone with the same kindness.The workplace bullying only intensified.Jax never said a word to defend me.Maybe he didn't know. Or maybe he just didn't care.Three days later, Jax slammed a set of strategy documents onto my desk, his face dark with rage."Elena Brown, is this complete garbage supposed to be your work? It's a total disaster!"I

Chapter 6

My flight landed in Northvill at five in the morning.I opened the ticketing app and booked the earliest train home.My home was in a small quiet town in Northville, three hours away by rail.When I reached the front gate, Mom was in the yard hanging laundry to dry.She froze for two seconds, staring at me with my suitcase.She put down her wooden clothespins, walked over, and took my bag."You're back?""Yeah," I murmured. "I quit my job."She looked like she had a hundred questions, but she just nodded softly."Head inside. The food is still warm on the stove."I slept through the rest of the day.When I finally woke up, it was dark outside.My phone showed several missed calls from unknown numbers from Southvill.I ignored them all.The next day, I left a note for Mom and walked to the town library to apply for a job.With my resume and qualifications, the director hired me on the spot to start on the next Monday.Life slowed down instantly.There were no endless ov

Chapter 7

Jax's face turned completely ghostly pale."That was just an accident," he stammered. "Besides, she's your best friend. Taking one hit for her wasn't a big deal."A dry laugh escaped my throat, completely devoid of warmth."If it wasn't a big deal, why couldn't she face the company's punishment herself?"She knew I was a gullible fool who would take the fall without a fight."Jax opened his mouth, but no words came out.I stared at him, pronouncing every single word clearly."Jax, your proposal was never about us. It was just your excuse to flirt with Chloe.""That's not true..."He shook his head, his voice trembling violently. "I just wanted to surprise you...""You didn't give me a surprise. You gave me a wake-up call."I turned around to leave.Jax lunged forward and grabbed my arm, his grip so tight my bones throbbed."Elena, you can't do this to me! We've been together for seven whole years!"I looked up into his eyes."So you do remember how long we've been togeth

Chapter 8

The next day, Jax came back.This time, he carried a bouquet of white gardenias and a new red velvet box with a silver bracelet."Here," he said, holding both toward me. "Anything you like, I'll buy it for you."I stared at the bunch of white flowers, my mind slipping seven years into the past.Back when we first got together, he was completely broke.When my birthday rolled around, he couldn't afford flowers from a shop.Instead, he plucked a single wild gardenia from the side of the road.He tucked the bloom behind my ear and smiled softly."Once I make it big," he promised, "I'll fill a whole house with gardenias for you."Now, he had money.Yet the flowers weren't really for me anymore."I actually don't even like gardenias," I said quietly.Jax's hands trembled violently, almost dropping the bouquet onto the dirt."What? But back then...""I didn't love the flowers," I looked into his eyes. "I loved the man giving them to me."And now, I don't love the man anymore e

Chapter 9

Chloe cornered me right at the library entrance.When she took off her sunglasses, her eyes were red and swollen like bruised walnuts."Elena, I'm completely out of options," she wept.She grabbed my sleeve, her nails digging hard into the fabric."The company didn't just fire me," she sobbed. "They sent a legal demand for every single bonus and salary raise I received over the past three years!"Where am I supposed to get that kind of money? My dad is in the hospital. I can't let my family find out!"Please help me," she begged. "Just one last time, okay?"I looked down at her without a word.She fumbled through her purse and pulled out a settlement agreement."If you sign this document, the company will drop the repayment demands," she gasped."They just need your signature confirming that you freely handed those projects over to me."I glanced down at the agreement.The terms were crystal clear.[Party B, Elena Vance, voluntarily relinquishes all project credits and bon

Chapter 10

Three months passed.A formal summons arrived from Southvill's court.Chloe had filed a lawsuit against both Jax and the firm, demanding damages for defamation.In court, she wept bitterly on the stand. She claimed Jax forced her into everything, testifying that she was merely a blameless subordinate following orders.Jax sat at the defense table, completely silent.I was called in as a witness.The moment Chloe spotted me walking in, her face drained of color."Elena, thank God you're here!" she blurted out. "Please tell the judge that Jax ordered me to take your work! I had no choice!"Looking at her, the very last shred of my sympathy dissolved into dust.My written forgiveness statement should have ended this entire nightmare quietly.Yet her greed drove her to drag everyone back into court for a settlement payout.I refused to protect her any longer.I pulled out a thick envelope containing the photocopies of the records Jax sent me."These are the original system f

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