Chapter 1

My CEO fiancé said the company was struggling, so he cut my salary in half.

But then I saw his little assistant flaunting on SnapChat.

[My boss didn't just give me a raise; he even bought me a luxury car because he was worried about my commute! So thoughtful.]

In the picture, she and my fiancé stood in front of a brand new, high-end car, beaming with happiness.

I paused for two seconds and tapped 'Like.'

That evening, my fiancé called an urgent meeting. Using my "disruption of company morale" as an excuse, he docked my entire month's salary and gave it to his assistant as "compensation" for her "distress."

Everyone looked at me with pity, expecting me to throw a fit.

But I calmly packed my things from my desk and handed him my resignation.

"Just docking salary isn't enough for bullying a colleague, is it? I'll resign myself."

The moment I finished speaking, Chloe, Connor's assistant, jumped in.

"Harper, how can you resign over such a small thing?"

"You've been with the company for so long, and Connor has always been so good to you. If you quit now, at this crucial moment, what will everyone think of him?"

"Connor, you should try to convince Harper too!"

Connor probably had been planning to stop me.

But after listening to Chloe, his anger flared. He scoffed, "Convince her? Why? If she wants to leave, let her. I've done nothing wrong; I'm not afraid of what anyone thinks or says."

Then, without hesitation, he signed my resignation letter and threw the paper in my face.

The watching colleagues were stunned.

A good friend from my team quickly whispered for me to just apologize, to not let my emotions get the best of me.

Almost everyone present knew that I had helped Connor build this company from the ground up.

When the company was short on funds, I practically drank myself sick to secure investments. When deadlines loomed, I was the one leading the team, pulling all-nighters for days on end. I poured my heart and soul into every single project.

Now the company had completed its funding rounds and was about to go public. No one in their right mind would leave at a time like this.

But I remained calm, picking up the resignation letter from the floor.

"I'll leave after I've handed over my work."

"No need for a handover. Get out now."

Connor pointed at the door, his voice cold and unwavering.

Seeing this, I said nothing, just waved goodbye to a few colleagues, picked up my bag, and left.

Before walking out, I glanced back at Connor.

I clearly saw a flicker of complex emotion in his usually composed eyes.

I knew exactly why.

He thought I wouldn't leave.

We'd had arguments before, but I'd always regret it shortly after leaving, returning to him as if nothing had happened, apologizing, and going back to work as usual.

But he probably didn't realize this time was different.

My patience with him had finally run out.

I walked to the parking garage.

I found my beat-up old car, the one I'd driven for ten years, its paint scratched and faded in several places.

Next to it was a brand new, top-of-the-line Porsche – the exact one Connor had just given Chloe today.

There were plenty of empty spaces in the garage, but she'd deliberately parked it right here.

I understood. It was a clear challenge.

It wasn't just two cars; it was like the two of us.

Connor and I had been together for ten years, yet I was worth less than Chloe, who'd only been here for ten months.

I gave a self-deprecating laugh and got into my car.

Just then, a text message came through. I opened it and saw a transfer from Liam, my friend.

This morning, when Connor said the company wasn't doing well and he was cutting my salary, I'd worried he was under too much stress. I immediately contacted Liam and arranged for a fifty thousand dollar loan.

I'd intended to give it to Connor, but then I'd accidentally seen Chloe's SnapChat post about Connor getting her a new car.

Surprisingly, my heart had been perfectly calm, no sadness, no raging jealousy.

Perhaps it was because it had happened too many times.

Chloe had been specially recruited by Connor, even though her work ability was abysmal. Yet Connor, who was usually so serious and rigorous about work, tolerated her mistakes again and again.

From minor things like ordering plain water for a client and a bubble tea for herself during meetings, to major blunders like sending the bottom-line price list instead of the official quote to a partner, causing the company to lose hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Whenever I held Chloe accountable, Connor would unhesitatingly stand in front of her, looking utterly annoyed with me.

"Chloe just graduated, isn't it normal to make some mistakes? Why are you so harsh on new hires?"

Over time, Chloe grew increasingly brazen, to the point where she didn't even acknowledge me anymore.

Soon, I left the garage. As the parking barrier lifted, my car suddenly jolted.

Realizing I'd been rear-ended, I stepped out, only to see Connor and Chloe walking out of the car behind me, holding hands.

"Oh, sorry, Harper, is that you?"

Chloe immediately walked up, looking at her car's dented hood with exaggerated concern. "But why did you brake so suddenly? I didn't even have time to react."

"Such a shame, Connor just got me this new car."

Connor's face was dark as he glared at me. "Were you doing this on purpose? Did you know Chloe was behind you and deliberately braked to get back at her?"

I almost laughed at his audacity.

It was always like this.

Blindly placing the blame on me without any reason.

Before I could even speak, Chloe's eyes welled up.

"Connor, don't blame Harper."

"She just quit because of me; it's normal for her to be angry."

"It's all my fault, really."

Saying this, she clenched her fist and, as if in agony, moved to hit her forehead, only to subtly pull her punch at the last second.

Connor, however, didn't see through it. His eyes filled with concern as he gently rubbed her forehead. "It has nothing to do with you. Don't take everything upon yourself."

Then, he turned his furious gaze back to me, getting angrier the more he thought about it. He angrily poked my forehead.

"Harper, can't you learn from Chloe and take some responsibility? She knows how to be modest, and you, after working for so many years, are still so childish and arrogant?"

He pushed me back a couple of steps. Once I recovered, I found it almost laughable.

For the past year, Chloe had been constantly stealing my credit, playing mind games, and framing me, and now she was modest and responsible, while I was childish and arrogant.

Knowing that further conversation would be a waste of breath, I didn't bother to say anything more and turned to leave.

"Wait." Connor suddenly stopped me.

I expected him to lecture me again, defending Chloe. But to my surprise, he pulled me aside.

He spoke with a serious, almost paternal tone.

"Harper, my attitude towards you today was indeed extreme."

"But, I also have high expectations of you, which is why I'm so strict."

I was still somewhat confused by his gentle words.

However, I soon understood his intention.