I would buy her anything.
When Silas came out of his us, his jaw tight.
for his generic beastman kibble, he would glare at
I couldn’t tell if he hated me for sending Jenna away.
Or if he hated me for giving all my affection to Annie.
It didn’t matter.
As long as he was miserable, I was happy.
When I returned to Apex Corporation, the System’s words echoed in my mind.
After Jenna returned to the Graves family, I would be fired.
Fired. That was a serious problem.
Waiting for the axe to fall wasn’t my style.
I contacted the headhunter who had been pursuing me for months.
Jan
OX
I sent a single message: [Available.]
Her reply was instantaneous, a flood of texts lighting up my screen.
[Calla! I’m here.]
[Do you have a moment, Calla?]
A deluge of job listings from top companies followed, each with staggering salaries and benefits.
[Calla, I honestly think OmniCorp is a much better fit for you than Apex.]
OmniCorp. Apex’s biggest competitor. Their mortal enemy.
Given that I’d made an enemy of the future Graves heiress, moving to OmniCorp was indeed an excellent option.
The headhunter, fearing a text wouldn’t suffice, sent an invitation for a face–to–face meeting.
[Calla, are you free tonight at seven?]
[If so, we could meet at the cafe downstairs from the OmniCorp tower.]
[Would that work for you?]
I took my time before replying.
[Yes.]
I didn’t have to work late that day.
When I arrived at the cafe, the headhunter was already waiting.
She greeted me with an excited wave.
I sat down, and we dove into the details.
We were deep in a pleasant conversation when her eyes darted over my shoulder. Her face went pale, and she started stammering.
“Calla, I just remembered… I forgot to water my plants. I have to go.”
She shot up from her seat and practically fled.
Before I could turn around, a hand rested on my shoulder.
A familiar voice, smooth as silk, washed over me.
“Calla Rhimes. Is the compensation package at Apex suddenly not shiny enough for you? Or are you just planning to jump ship?”
13:37 Mon, Aug 4 O
ש
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X
The voice belonged to my direct supervisor, my classmate for four years of university, and the true power in the Graves family: Maximilian Graves.
I was so stunned I almost laughed.
I didn’t dare turn around.
Maximilian removed his hand and strode around the table.
He sat down opposite me, a titan in a bespoke suit, looking utterly betrayed.
“The lengths you’ll go to just to avoid me,” he said, his handsome face a mask of frustration. “It’s almost impressive.”
The dormant System Commentary flickered back to life.
【Ah! The villain has arrived! The Graves family’s heir!)
[He may be a villain, but damn, he’s hot! I’m drooling!)
[Enough, you superficial fools. This is the guy who constantly opposes the female lead when she tries to get the villainess fired. He even competes with her for control of the family business.]
【The author made him too powerful. If he hadn’t been written out in that car crash, the FL would never
have won.]
What kind of twisted logic was that?
