Chapter 3

I snickered as I recalled those memories. It finally dawned on me now that one might gradually lose their sense of reality after being disillusioned for a long time. While I was staying at the hotel, I started looking for a place to rent. I went to work as usual too. Since I was just a regular employee, Anthony, the CEO, would hardly notice my presence. What I did not expect was that afternoon, our manager, Linda Harrington, shared with us shocking news—someone else had snatched away the deputy manager's position; it was supposed to be mine. "Everyone, this is Ms. Grayson, the new deputy manager of our department. I hope you will all work well together." An awkward silence fell over the room after Linda made the announcement. All eyes were on me. People were either looking at me curiously or speculatively. Some were just eager to see how this incident would unfold. I cast a stony glance at Selena. Selena met my gaze with a contemptuous look. It was as if she were trying to tell me that she could have pretty much anything she wanted, whether it was Anthony or a job position. Just then, Anthony and his assistant happened to pass by our office. His gaze drifted across the room. As if he was looking at a complete stranger, his eyes showed nothing when he met my gaze. Although he did not say anything, Anthony had made his stance pretty clear through his actions. Upon seeing that, the others began clapping their hands and welcomed Selena to the team. When I got the confirmation that I would soon be promoted to the position, I had used it as an excuse to treat Anthony to a meal. I even joked about how he should start calling me deputy manager. He knew I was looking forward to being officially promoted to deputy manager, but it was obvious that Anthony was doing this now to pressure me. Yet he did not know that his competitor had made me an offer long ago, and their offer stood open indefinitely. I had no choice but to start considering other options, as it seemed pointless to continue working for this company. After we had welcomed Selena, I immediately contacted Rick Gervais, the vice CEO of the company that made me the offer, and explained my situation to him. At first, I thought he would ask me to join their company once my current contract expired. To my surprise, Rick said he would be willing to help me pay my current employer the penalty for breaching the contract and that I should report to their office the following Monday. I had been working in the marketing department for four years. Many of the collaborative projects under Cleveland Corporation that had performed really well were made possible after I had met and socialized with countless clients time and time again. At the same time, I had formed many connections and gained access to various resources. Because of this, Anthony's competitor was willing to spend a lot of money to hire me instead. I did not take the offer right away. Instead, I asked Rick to give me two days to consider it. I needed to plan wisely for the future and avoid making reckless choices. To everyone's bewilderment, I was the first to pack up my things and get ready to leave when it was time to get off work. In the past, I was always the last to leave the office since I would stay back to get more work done. My colleagues joked about how I had started slacking off since I did not get promoted this time. I merely smiled and said nothing while they teased me. As I exited the building, I immediately recognized the car parked nearby. I pretended I had not noticed it and headed toward the bus stop. Selena rolled down the car window next to the front passenger seat and called loudly, "Vivi, over here! We're waiting for you!" Quite a few of our company's employees were nearby. When they heard Selena's voice, they all looked in her direction. Despite my desire to avoid being seen with him by my colleagues, I maintained a neutral expression and approached the car. "Do you need something from me, Ms. Grayson?" Selena chuckled when she heard how I addressed her. "We're not at work. You can just call me Selena." Sitting in the driver's seat, Anthony had a cold, distant expression on his face. He did not even spare me a glance for a second. I could see that he was feeling impatient through his tightly knitted brows. "Hurry and get in the car, Vivi. It's my first day at work today. I want to treat you and Tony to a meal." "It's alright. I don't have an appetite." After saying that, I turned to leave. However, Anthony shot me an icy glance before I could make my exit. "Get in." I snorted. After that, I simply ignored him and hailed a cab by the roadside. Since I was changing jobs soon, I would also have to reconsider the location of the place I would be renting. After getting into the cab, I contacted an agent and asked her to look for a suitable place for me. Before finding a good place to move into, I had no choice but to stay at the hotel for the time being. After dinner, I went out for a stroll. I was also checking if any suitable places were available for rent nearby. Sadly, I did not find any options that were good enough. I washed myself and lay on the bed. Then, I took my phone and opened the Instagram app. I stumbled upon another post that Selena had uploaded 10 minutes ago. It was a photo of her and Anthony having dinner at a restaurant. Selena did not snap a picture of Anthony's face. Instead, his hand was captured in the frame. I recognized the watch Anthony wore on his wrist. It was the birthday gift I had given him after receiving my first paycheck. The watch was not as valuable as the expensive ones he owned. Still, Anthony said he liked the watch a lot, and he wore it pretty frequently. I honestly thought he liked the watch. That was until I heard from his assistant last month that Anthony chose to wear that watch since it would help him approach and talk to people from certain agencies regarding opportunities for collaboration. It was because the watch was cheap and not too eye-catching. My gaze fell on Selena's caption eventually. "It's my first day at work today. I look forward to working with you, Mr. Cleveland." She even included a flying kiss emoji at the end of the caption. "How romantic," I scoffed inwardly. I pressed the like button on that post. Then, I unfollowed her. The next day, I washed myself and got ready to leave for work. As I opened the door, I found a bouquet of roses on the floor. I furrowed my brows and kicked the bouquet aside right away. When I lifted my head, I met Anthony's piercing gaze. He was dressed in formal work wear. His hair was brushed and styled neatly. He was holding a bag, which seemed to be breakfast, in his hand. "Aren't roses your favorite?" "I don't like it if it's from you," I replied expressionlessly. "How did you manage to find me?" He pursed his lips. "I checked the address you used for ordering food deliveries." I was only reminded then that I had used his phone to order food deliveries previously. At the time, Anthony even sneered at me for eating junk food again. I cast him a sidelong glance. Then, I walked past him and headed for the elevator. Anthony picked up the roses and hurried after me. "When are you coming back home?" He slipped in right before the elevator doors came to a close and asked impatiently. I stared stonily at him. "That's not my home anymore. Why should I go back to that place? Anthony, please bear in mind that we already broke up." "Are you mad about the fact that I've appointed Selena to be the deputy manager?" Anthony fixed his gaze on me. He softened his tone. "As long as you stop throwing a fit, I'll give you that promotion later on. Selena won't hold the position for that long since she's just using it to gain some experience first." I could not help but find his words ironic. All of the hard work I had put into securing the job position stood no chance against a simple request from someone else. It was as if all my efforts were just a joke to Anthony. I looked him straight in the eye and said calmly, "That won't be necessary. I don't need anything from you anymore." "I don't want the job, nor do I need the ring. I don't even want you anymore," I muttered internally.