After all, buying her a gift was insignificant compared to the importance of our team’s research project.
It was late at night, and the drive from home to the company took barely ten minutes. Theo’s effort to keep everything hidden from me was convincing, but not enough to fool me.
When I entered his office, I was greeted by a scene that felt like a dagger to my chest. Celeste was perched on his lap, her arms wrapped around his neck as she teased him. The indulgent smile on Theo’s face—a look he used to reserve for me—now belonged to her.
My heart clenched painfully, my face drained of color. The gift in my hand trembled as I gripped it tightly, my teeth clenched to keep myself from making a sound.
Inside, they continued their shameless flirting, oblivious to the world outside their bubble. The man who used to whisper sweet nothings in my ear was now kissing another woman without restraint.
I couldn’t bear it any longer. Anger surged through me as I threw the door open and hurled the gift in my hand at them.
"Theo, how dare you betray me? You make me sick!"
The shock in his eyes was brief. He quickly shielded Celeste, his focus entirely on her. When he noticed the faint red mark on her hand from the gift I had thrown, his face darkened with rage. Without hesitation, he grabbed the vase on his desk and hurled it at me.
Pain shot through my arm as the vase struck me, but the ache in my chest was far worse. I couldn’t tell which hurt more—my injured arm or my shattered heart.
"Fiona, have you lost your mind? Do you know what you’ve done? Celeste just secured a massive deal for the company, and I was rewarding her. Do you have to go this far to hurt her?"
His words pierced me. While he stood there protecting her, did he even notice how my heart bled? I opened my mouth to respond, but the words died on my tongue.
Celeste, now nestled in his arms, trembled delicately. She reached out and tugged at my sleeve, her voice soft and pitiful.
"Mr. Chandler, please don’t yell at Fiona. She loves you so much and was only worried when she saw us together. I never wanted to ruin your relationship."
She turned to him, her voice quivering with understanding.
"Mr. Chandler, thank you for everything, but I think I should resign. I don’t want to cause any more trouble for you or Fiona."
Hearing this, Theo tightened his hold on her waist and glared at me with icy disdain.
"Fiona, are you satisfied now? You’re standing there like a statue—are you mute? Apologize to her! She just brought in an important deal, and now she’s leaving because of your jealousy. How do you expect me to face the company after this?"
I stared at Celeste’s provocative face, my gaze dropping to the faint strawberry mark on her exposed V-neck. It was like a slap to my sanity. My mind spiraled into chaos. The man who once claimed to love me deeply was now betraying me—right in front of my eyes.
My pride flared, stubborn and unyielding. Apologize to her? Never.
"You won’t apologize, will you? Then prepare to face my wrath," Theo said coldly, his tone devoid of the affection I had once known.
I assumed his punishment would be as simple as cutting off my credit cards. But no, his next move struck at the heart of everything I valued.
With a blank expression, he picked up the phone and dialed the finance department.
"Suspend the sponsorship for the Westhaven Project. I’ll inform you of the next steps later," he said curtly.
The words hit me like a hammer. The geological survey project I had poured my soul into—gone, just like that. My chest felt tight, my breath shaky.
Swallowing my pride, I forced myself to suppress my anger. I took a deep breath, smoothed the edges of my expression, and stepped forward. Extending a hand to Celeste, I curved my lips into a strained smile and spoke the most insincere words of my life.
"I'm sorry. I misunderstood the relationship between you and Mr. Chandler. I hope you won’t take it to heart and will continue working hard to bring more success to the company."
Celeste didn’t even glance at my outstretched hand. Instead, she ignored me completely, as though I didn’t exist. She turned to Theo, her fingers lightly tugging at his sleeve as she leaned into him, her voice soft and coquettish.
"Mr. Chandler, it’s fine. I’m not upset. But my heart… my heart feels hurt. You can’t just brush me off with a few words and call it settled."
Theo’s expression softened into something I hadn’t seen in years. With an indulgent smile, he reached out and pinched her cheek, his tone laced with affection.
"You little troublemaker. You only know how to tease me, don’t you? But when someone else bullies you, all you do is hide in my arms."
Celeste blushed and shyly hit his chest with her fist, her voice tinged with feigned innocence.
"With President Theo here, who would dare to bully me?"
