Chapter 1

As I walked out of the office, I could feel the shocked stares of my colleagues burning into my back. But I didn't care. I had bigger plans.

What James didn't know was that I had been secretly recording our conversations for months. I had evidence of his embezzlement, his affairs, and his illegal business practices. I had already sent copies to the board of directors and the authorities.

As I stepped into the elevator, my phone buzzed. It was a message from the head of HR: "Emily, the board wants to see you immediately. Don't leave the building."

I smiled to myself. The game was just beginning.

As soon as I finished speaking, Mia rushed to interject.

"Emily, how can you resign over such a small matter?" she said, her voice dripping with fake concern.

"You've been with the company for so long, and James has always treated you so well. If you resign at this critical moment, what will everyone think of him?"

"James, please, talk some sense into Emily," Mia pleaded, turning to him with wide eyes.

James might have intended to persuade me earlier, but after hearing Mia's words, his anger flared up.

"What's there to persuade? If she wants to leave, let her leave. I have nothing to hide or be ashamed of. I don't care what anyone says," he snapped.

He snatched my resignation letter, signed it hastily, and then threw it in my face.

The onlooking colleagues watched me, waiting for the drama to unfold.

But instead of arguing as I used to, I remained calm, picking up the resignation letter from the floor.

"I'll finish handing over my work before I leave," I said quietly.

"No need for handover. If you want to leave, leave now," James barked, pointing at the door. Then, as if remembering something, he added coldly, "Voluntary resignation means no compensation."

Seeing this, colleagues who were close to me tried to persuade me to apologize and not act on impulse.

They all knew that I had helped James build this company from scratch.

When the company was short on funds, I drank until I vomited blood to secure investments. When projects were behind schedule, I led the team in working three days straight without sleep. I had poured my heart and soul into every aspect of the business.

Leaving now meant giving up everything.

But my mind was made up. After thanking them, I packed my things and turned to leave.

Before I left, I clearly saw a flicker of complexity in James's eyes.

I knew he thought I wouldn't leave.

We had argued many times before because of Mia, with the worst incident being when James publicly berated me and gave my entire year's bonus to her.

I was so angry that I threatened to quit, but when it came time to leave, I swallowed my pride. I went back to him, speaking softly as if nothing had happened, and continued working as usual, pretending the incident never occurred.

He thought I would convince myself to stay this time too.

But what he didn't know was that my patience with him had finally run out.

Just as I walked out of the company, a text message came through.

I opened it to see a transfer from my friend, Sophie.

Earlier that morning, when James said the company wasn't doing well and wanted to cut my salary, my first reaction was to worry about his stress. I immediately contacted Sophie to borrow half a million dollars.

I had originally intended to give it to him, but then I accidentally saw Mia's Instagram post.

That's when I finally understood James's intentions.

Surprisingly, I felt unexpectedly calm at that moment, neither sad nor jealous to the point of madness.

Perhaps because it had happened too many times.

James had done so many outrageous things for Mia that I could hardly tell who his girlfriend was anymore - me or Mia.

I returned the money to Sophie, thanked her, and walked to the parking garage.

I found my old car that I had been driving for ten years, its paint chipped in several places.

Next to it was parked a brand new Porsche, the one James had just given to Mia today.

There were many empty spaces in the garage, yet she chose to park right here.

It was clearly a provocation towards me.

I had been with James for ten years, yet I didn't compare to Mia who had only been with the company for ten months.

I laughed bitterly at myself.

Without further hesitation, I started the engine and left the company I had worked at for years.

However, just as I exited the company gates, someone rear-ended me.

I got out of the car, only to see James and Mia emerging from the car behind.

"Emily, why did you stop so suddenly? I didn't have time to react," Mia said, walking up to inspect her car's dented front with a pained expression. "What a shame, James picked this out so carefully for me."

James's face grew increasingly dark.

"Emily, I saw you staring at Mia's car in the garage earlier. Tell me the truth, was this intentional? Did you know Mia was behind you and deliberately brake to get revenge?" he accused.

I almost laughed at the absurdity of his accusation.

It was always like this. He would push all the blame onto me without distinguishing right from wrong.

Mia sighed.

"Let it go, James. We shouldn't blame Emily," she said with feigned generosity.

"She lost her job because of me, so it's natural for her to be angry at me."

"In the end, it's all my fault. If only I had been more careful," she added, letting out a regretful sigh.

It was an obvious act.

But James couldn't see through it. He gently rubbed her shoulder, saying indulgently, "It has nothing to do with you. Don't take everything on yourself."

Then he turned to me and flicked my forehead hard.

"Emily, can't you learn from Mia?" he scolded.

"She knows how to be humble. You've worked for so many years, why are you still so petty and immature?"

I stumbled from his push, and when I regained my balance, I found the situation somewhat amusing.

For the past year, it had been Mia constantly stealing my achievements, playing mind games, and pinning blame on me. Now suddenly, she was humble and responsible, while I was petty and immature.

Knowing that further conversation would be futile, I didn't bother saying anything more and turned to leave.

But James blocked my path again.

I thought he was going to endlessly defend Mia again, but to my surprise, he pulled me aside.

He spoke to me in a serious tone.

"Emily, I have high expectations for you, that's why I'm so strict with you," he said.

"Why can't you understand my good intentions?"

Hearing his gentle words, I was momentarily confused.

However, I soon understood his intentions.

James patted my shoulder.

"I'll withdraw your resignation letter. Think about apologizing to Mia," he said.

"Also, you're fully responsible for this rear-end collision. Transfer whatever amount is necessary to Mia for repairs."

I finally understood.

I looked up at Mia.

She had probably known what James was going to say all along. Her face was full of smugness as she rolled her eyes at me provocatively.

I let out a derisive laugh.

"I won't pay for anything. If you want to know who's responsible for the rear-end collision, check for yourself. If you really can't figure it out, call the police," I said firmly.

"I have other matters to attend to. I'm leaving now."

I turned and walked away.

James's face darkened behind me, his voice turning cold: "I've already given you a chance. Don't regret it!"

Regret?

I won't regret it.

I got back into my car and sent a message to Sophie.

"I've resigned. I can start working at your company tomorrow."

截断点