Chapter 2

I laughed.

Seriously?

Scare *her*?

I hadn’t said a single word. How was I scaring her?

I looked at Cassandra, nestled behind him. Her face wore a perfectly crafted mask of panic and innocence, but I saw a faint, triumphant smirk hidden in the corner of her eye.

Such a flawless act.

Then I looked back at Brandon.

This man, whom I’d stood by through thick and thin, from nothing to founding ‘Brandon Architecture.’ This man, who’d built half his empire on my designs.

Right now, all his protection and concern were focused on another woman.

My heart felt like it was being squeezed by an icy hand, tightening inch by painful inch.

“Brandon,” I heard my own voice, eerily calm, “you know what this blueprint means.”

“It means our company can secure that multi-billion dollar prime land in the city’s South District. It means your ‘Brandon Architecture’ can leapfrog to become an industry leader.”

“And you say, ‘just draw another one’?”

My question choked him. His face turned ugly.

“Sera, don’t throw a tantrum out here. I’ll explain everything to you when we get home.”

He lowered his voice, as if he was bestowing a great favor on me.

I just felt sick.

The whispers around me buzzed like flies in my ears.

“Tsk, Designer Sera is just too aggressive. She doesn’t give Mr. Brandon any face.”

“Exactly! Designer Cassandra is so gentle. She looks like the kind of woman who truly knows how to elevate her man’s career.”

“Men, they prefer a woman who knows how to soothe and charm. Who wants a workaholic who just draws blueprints all day…”

My head buzzed, a sharp cramp in my chest coupled with days of sleepless fatigue washed over me.

My vision started to black out.

My last conscious thought was seeing Brandon pat Cassandra’s shoulder reassuringly, then looking at me with an expression that screamed ‘trouble.’

That look, like a steel needle, pierced through all my illusions.

The next second, I completely lost consciousness.