Chapter 4

The other was Zoe from Marketing—when she was harassed by a client, I brought a lawyer in the middle of the night to rescue her.

They held my arms on both sides, hands trembling but gripping hard.

I was half-pushed, half-dragged toward the storage room at the end of the hallway.

Passing familiar faces, some averted their eyes, some pretended to be busy, some hesitated to speak but ultimately stayed silent.

My heart sank bit by bit to the bottom.

The dust in the storage room made me cough constantly.

Leo and Zoe pushed me hard, keeping their heads down, not daring to meet my eyes.

"Ms. Jade... I'm sorry, we..."

Leo's voice was choked with tears. Before she could finish, Zoe pulled her hard.

"Let's go! Do you still want your job or not!"

The door was locked again, cutting off all sound from outside.

I slowly slid down the wall to sit on the floor.

I reached into my pocket for my phone—the screen was pitch black.

The last hope of contact with the outside world was gone too.

I scanned the narrow space, wondering if I could crawl out through the ventilation shaft.

Suddenly, footsteps sounded at the door.

The lock clicked open, but my heart inexplicably panicked.

Adrian slipped through the door crack and locked it behind him.

He walked toward me, his gaze lewdly roaming over my body.

"Look at this—our illustrious Ms. Jade, how did you end up like this?"

I stood up, looking at him coldly without speaking.

"Lauren just has a quick temper, acts impulsively. But I'm not incapable of helping you."

He moved closer, his tobacco-scented breath spraying on my face.

"You were just too stubborn before! But from now on... as long as you're smart and obey me."

"I can talk to Lauren and let you come back, even keep you as sales director. How about it?"

I slapped away his hand reaching for my face and shouted angrily.

"Don't touch me."

The fake smile on Adrian's face instantly vanished. He raised his hand and slapped me.

"Ungrateful bitch!"

"Jade, if it weren't for your looks, I wouldn't bother with you!"

He grinned menacingly, grabbed both my hands, and pushed me against the wall.

"You don't want to? Doesn't matter. I just need to have my fun today!"

"Let's see how long your stubborn bones can last!"

Humiliation and rage made me instantly raise my leg and kick with all my strength toward his groin.

Caught off guard, Adrian groaned and released his grip.

But before I could run, he grabbed me from behind and slammed me hard to the side.

My ears immediately rang, and a rusty, metallic taste filled my mouth.

My vision blurred.

I could only see his furiously twisted face and his hand raised high again.

However, the expected second beating didn't fall.

The storage room door opened once more.

Lauren stood backlit in the doorway, her expression as twisted as a ghost.

"Jade, I knew I was right—you two really are having an affair!"

Hearing this, I found it utterly absurd.

But before I could refute, Adrian's face was already plastered with flattery.

"Lauren! Don't misunderstand! She lured me here, trying to seduce me! She just wanted me to let her out."

"She even said she's familiar with all the company business and will take those client resources and go solo, so she won't have to deal with you, this nagging wife."

Lauren's chest heaved violently, her eyes stabbing viciously at me.