Chapter 4

The door swung open, and a foul stench of stale alcohol hit me instantly.

She had brought Jayden into our home.

Jayden had his arms wrapped tightly around her waist, his face buried deep into the crook of her neck.

I stood frozen by the hallway.

Sienna despised smoking and drinking.

Years ago, I had downed over twenty drinks at a corporate dinner to shield her from sleazy clients. I couldn't even stand up straight, but she hadn't offered a single hand to support me.

Instead, she looked at me with pure disgust, banned me from entering the apartment because I "smelled like a sewer," and paid an Uber driver to dump me at a cheap motel alone.

And now? She was personally carrying this drunken intern through our front door.

Seeing me stand there like a statue, Sienna cursed under her breath and dragged Jayden straight toward the master bedroom.

My throat felt parched. "That’s our bedroom."

Sienna glared back over her shoulder. "So what? Jayden got wasted taking shots for me tonight! If it weren't for him, those clients would have taken advantage of me. He protected me, so he deserves the best bed! We’re partners, Logan. Can you stop being such an insecure, toxic misogynist for once?"

She shoved past me violently. "If you’re not helping, get out of the way!"

I stumbled, my lower back slamming hard against the metal door handle. A sharp groan escaped my lips.

Sienna rolled her eyes. "You’re thirty years old. Stop playing the victim. I’m not falling for it."

I didn't want to watch them anymore. But as I turned my head, my eyes caught Jayden’s.

His eyes were crystal clear. There wasn't an ounce of drunkenness in them.

He stared straight at me and flashed a victorious, mocking grin.

I sat on the living room sofa, waiting for the morning to finish this once and for all.

The sun crested the skyline. Sienna never stepped foot out of that bedroom.

I let out a soft laugh, grabbed my two suitcases, and walked out the door without looking back.

At the office the next morning, Jayden strutted in, looking completely refreshed.

He tapped on my desk. "Logan. In my office. Now."

Jayden’s new corner office was covered in Sienna’s personal touches.

On his display shelf sat the rare, limited-edition collector’s figurines I had spent thousands sourcing for her birthday.

Jayden caught me looking. "See these, Logan? The stuff you treated like holy relics means nothing to me. I mentioned they looked cool, and Sienna handed them over like trash."

"In business, in love—you lost to me on every single front."

He picked up my printed resignation letter from his desk and slapped it against my cheek.

"Drop to your knees right now and say, 'I, Logan, am inferior to Jayden in every way.' Do that, and maybe I’ll let you stay on as our night janitor. That way, you won't starve when nobody else hires you."

I clicked my tongue and tilted my head. "It’s broad daylight, Jayden. Stop dreaming."

I reached out to grab my letter, but Jayden suddenly swept his arm across the shelf, deliberately smashing the figurines onto the hardwood floor.

Ignoring the shattered plastic and porcelain, he dropped to his knees with a loud thud.

He buried his face in his hands, his voice instantly cracking into tears. "Logan! You can hit me all you want! But why did you smash my favorite figurines? Do you have any idea how much strength they gave me whenever work got tough?!"

Before I could even process his performance, a violent force shoved me from behind.

My elbow slammed brutally against the edge of the desk, shooting a searing pain up my arm.

"Jayden! Are you okay?!" Sienna screamed.

Jayden quickly hid his hand behind his back, forcing a tearful, brave smile. "I’m fine... It’s just... the gifts you gave me are ruined."

Sienna caught his hand and gasped at a paper-cut-sized scratch on his finger. Her face twisted in sheer agony, and without a second thought, she put his injured finger straight into her mouth.

"Are you stupid?!" she cried, her voice trembling. "They’re just cheap plastic! Why would you throw your body in front of them?!"

Jayden looked at her with pure, unadulterated adoration. "Everything you give me is sacred. I’d protect it with my life."

Sienna’s eyes melted into absolute mush.

Jayden threw a terrified glance at me, shrinking back. "I just... I felt dizzy from last night’s drinks and lost my balance. It wasn't Logan's fault, I swear."

Only then did Sienna remember I was standing there.

She spun around, raising her hand to slap me again. This time, I caught her wrist midair.

She dropped all corporate decorum and screeched like a fishwife. "Logan! You’ve crossed the line! You think just because you’ve been here longer, you can terrorize your coworkers?! A toxic bully like you doesn't deserve to breathe in this building!"

She snatched my resignation letter off the floor and scribbled her signature across the bottom.

"Get out! Pack your garbage and get the hell out of my sight right now!"

A departure process that normally took thirty days was finalized in ten minutes.

Looking at the signed release, a massive weight lifted off my shoulders.

I packed my personal coffee mug and notebook. Just as I took my first step toward the elevator, Sienna’s personal assistant sprinted into the corridor, drenched in cold sweat, her face pale as a corpse.

"Director Miller! The contract pricing is completely corrupted! Mr. Crawford is on his way up right now... What do we do?!"