Chapter 4
Elie’s eyelid twitched. Something was wrong. She turned around and saw her PPT had been swapped.
The screen was now showing humiliating photos from college, ones that had been secretly taken without her knowing.
Mixed in were censored bed photos, in which her face was clearly visible.
Elie knew right away that those photos came from Eric’s villa security footage
Her whole body went cold, and her mind went blank. She glanced instinctively toward Eric,
He was frowning, but Clara beside him wore a smug, taunting grin.
Elie immediately knew it was her doing. Anger rushed up, and she stepped forward, ready to ask what it would take for Clara to finally leave
her alone.
Eric’s
cold.
expression darkened as he stepped in front of her, his voice icy
“What are you doing? Not feeling humiliated enough? Remember, you’re just a secretary!”
With tears in her eyes, Elie looked at him. “Mr. Lawrence, yes, I’m just a secretary, but I’m still a person. Don’t I deserve respect? She deliberately showed those photos-
“Enough! Stop acting crazy here!” Eric snapped, his face dark.
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He called the security guards over and had her kicked out.
In front of everyone, they grabbed her by the hair and dragged her out, humiliated her, then shoved her down the high stairs.
She tumbled down, bruised all over, blood seeping out and staining the
floor red.
A sharp, tearing pain shot through her whole body, hitting every nerve.
Tears she’d been holding back finally spilled over, clouding her eyes.
She curled up, hugging herself tightly, and slowly blacked out.
When she opened her eyes again, she was in a hospital.
She stared blankly at the ceiling for a long time, then picked up her phone. The office group chat was flooded with talk about the annual party.
Someone had even shared videos and photos, mocking her without holding back.
“Elie’s not even that pretty, but turns out she’s so wild in private? I thought she was frigid with that cold expression, but she’s just a shameless flirt. No idea which guy she’s messing around with, but taking that many photos? She must be thirsty.”
“Frigid? She’s been all over Mr. Lawrence at work, basically throwing herself at him. Lucky for him, he’s only into Ms. Grayson and has never fallen for someone that low.”
“A gold–digger using her body to climb the ranks, like she could ever compare to Ms. Grayson. It’s a total insult. Honestly, she should just save herself the embarrassment and leave. If she stays, she’s just making a fool of herself.”
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Chapter 4
Each word felt like a dull knife slicing into Elie’s heart, causing unbearable pain.
Her palm was torn up from clenching so hard, and she bit down until her teeth ached. She was finally barely holding it together.
She had no idea how much time had passed before the ward door opened
When she looked up, a male coworker from the planning team walked in, holding a cup of water.
“Elie, you’re awake! How do you feel? Want me to get the
doctor?”
Elie was a little dazed, then shook her head.
“I’m okay. Was it you who brought me here?”
Marcus Schmidt scratched his head awkwardly, giving her a shy smile.
“Yeah, I saw you passed out by the door and got worried, so I brought you. to the hospital. Luckily, the doctor said it was just stress.”
The word “passed out” brought back memories of the company party, and Elie’s face froze.
Marcus realized he’d said the wrong thing and quickly went quiet.
The room stayed silent for a long time before he finally spoke up carefully. “Elie, don’t let those rumors get to you. They’re not mad because you did anything wrong, but because they have a prejudice against you. Someone’s definitely trying to hurt you by photoshopping those pictures. You can call the police, or if you don’t want to deal with that pressure, I can help you. You can just say you’re in a normal relationship…”
”
When she saw his ears turning bright red, Elie recalled how he’d always find random excuses to talk to her, and how he’d bring her coffee or
Chapter 4
snacks every now and then.
Only then did she realize that Marcus probably had a thing for her.
But she’d only ever seen him as a colleague, and she’d already made up her mind to leave.
So when he hinted at his feelings, Elie forced a small smile and politely turned him down.
“Thanks for your concern, but I can handle this on my own.
Marcus looked a little crushed, but he wasn’t backing down.
He reached under the bed, pulled out a bunch of roses, and nervously handed them to her.
He stammered, “I–I’ve liked you for a while now. I just never had the guts. to say it. I know the timing’s not great, but I wanted to try. Could you give me a chance? Maybe we could try being together-”
Marcus didn’t even get to finish his words before the door was kicked.
open.
Startled, they both turned toward the noise–Eric stood there, furious, with a sullen face.
He glared at Marcus as he spat out, “Get out!”
