“Where’s the jade Buddha pendant I gave you?”
“Didn’t I tell you to wear it all the time? You’re not supposed to take it off—not even for bathing or sleeping!”
“You were wearing it yesterday. Why is it gone now?!”
I paused for a moment, then let out a mocking laugh.
“What’s wrong? Not going to keep up the act?”
Everyone glanced at Sophia Reed, puzzled by her overreaction.
It was just a pendant, after all.
So you don’t wear it—big deal. Was it really worth getting this worked up over?
Realizing she had lost her composure, Sophia quickly adjusted her expression, slipping back into that delicate, pitiful demeanor she excelled at.
“I know you’re irritated with me right now, maybe even hate me,” she said tearfully, “but that pendant… I knelt in prayer for three days and nights in front of St. Mary’s Monastery to get it for you.”
“It’s not just a talisman—it carries all my love for you.”
“You promised me—if the Buddha’s here, I’m here. But now…”
Her voice broke, and she could no longer speak through the sobs.
The crowd seemed to understand.
Hearing her story, that jade Buddha sounded even more meaningful than a token of love. No wonder she’d reacted so strongly when I stopped wearing it.
In their eyes, what I had removed wasn’t just a pendant—it was her heart, her devotion, her entire love for me.
They looked at me now with open contempt and disgust.
I simply gave her a cold smile and a sarcastic thumbs-up.
“Nice story.”
“Fantastic performance.”
Right then, someone couldn’t hold back their anger.
“Damn, Mr. Parker, that’s too much!”
“Even if your company just went public and you’re suddenly rich, and you want to swap wives like some other wealthy men—at least pretend. This is just shameless!”
“You’re really fine doing something so heartless and gutless? Aren’t you worried the public backlash will tank our stock price?”
I ignored the stream of curses.
Glancing into the fruit basket, I chuckled under my breath.
“Lychees, pomelo, dragon fruit.”
“Sure, they’re all cooling foods—but you somehow managed to pick every single fruit I hate.”
Sophia’s expression shifted ever so slightly before she quickly said, “Ethan, even if you want to paint me as the villain, you don’t have to lie about your tastes.”
“These are all fruits you love.”
My jaw tightened. Clever.
I never eat fruit at the office, so of course none of the employees knew what I actually liked.
With her twisting the truth, they’d all believe her.
Without a word, I grabbed a fruit knife from the front desk.
Resisting the urge to let her “experience the knife” again, I hacked the fruit into mush and called over the office’s only pet, our little dog Randy, to eat it all.
“Bastard!”
“I can’t take this anymore! Ethan Parker, you’re a piece of trash!”
“I’m done too! Even if my whole family starves, I’m quitting!”
“I can’t work one more day for this scumbag!”
“Quitting? Don’t bother!”
“This jerk doesn’t deserve Mrs. Parker. We should all back her up—let her divorce him and take over the company!”
“Yeah! We’ll work for her instead—let’s make sure he walks away with nothing!”
The office boiled with outrage.
Right on cue, Sophia fainted dramatically, and the crowd immediately scrambled to carry her off to the hospital.
As the elevator doors slid shut, I pulled out my phone and made a call.
“Get ready to move.”
That night.
