Chapter 3

"Neil, scum like you should get out of here right now."

"People like you are what ruin the company's reputation."

"Get out! Make room for someone useful."

I looked away, outwardly as calm and unshaken as ever, but deep down a needle pricked at me.

Because the person stabbing me in the back was no stranger—he was a friend I'd known since college.

He was pretty much my only friend, which was why I'd treasured our friendship so much.

But I never imagined that a friend from those younger years would one day be corrupted by the cesspool too.

In his greedy world now, so-called friendship wasn't worth mentioning at all.

"Neil, even your best buddy is saying it. Do you have anything else to explain?"

Sean tapped the table, as if he were the man in charge, sitting in judgment over me, a lowly employee.

I smiled easily and lifted my eyes to stare at him.

"Since you all say I stole someone else's credit, then call the partner and ask them—on whose account did they agree to work with the Hardings?"

The moment I finished speaking, Sean's smile died and his face turned dark.

"Dickerson, don't tell me you're trying to say the partner agreed to work with the Hardings on your account?"

"How big do you think your face is, to spout such nonsense!"

"This deal only came together because of Ms. Harding, and because of Dylan's ability."

"If you're so set on twisting things, then I'll just call the partner and we'll find out."

I picked up my phone right then to make the call, but I was cut off by a voice full of fury that brooked no argument.

"Neil, you've disappointed me deeply."

Ms. Harding was back.

A familiar perfume drifted into my nose, and it made me deeply unhappy.

Because Sean wore this same perfume too—the two of them smelled exactly alike.

I turned to look at Cicely as she walked slowly over. There were hickeys hidden beneath her neckline, and even with foundation covering them, they were still visible.

The instant Sean saw her return, he hurried to his feet to greet her and reached out to hold her arm far too intimately.

"Ms. Harding, you're back!"

From the moment she walked in until now, Cicely hadn't once let her eyes land on me, her fiancé.

Her gaze had been fixed on Sean the whole time, as if he were her entire world.

And it wasn't only me who noticed these details—even the veteran employees could see it, couldn't they?

"Ms. Harding, please, sit!"

Cicely didn't sit in the CEO's chair. She had Sean sit there instead.

"You sit."

"I'll just sit beside you."

This kind of boundary-crossing indulgence only made Sean more emboldened.

After exchanging glances for a moment, everyone was certain of one thing: at this company, you had to listen to Sean and go along with him if you wanted a way to survive.

Once the two of them were seated, Cicely finally turned to look at me coldly, but said nothing.

Sean sighed. "Ms. Harding, Neil is your fiancé. I don't have the standing to deal with him."

"He won't answer to me either. Even after I laid out all that evidence against him, he said I was nothing, that I had no business firing him."

"So I'll leave this to you to handle. Otherwise, people outside will say a lowly assistant like me is throwing his weight around just because he has your favor."

After saying that, he stood again, not daring to sit back down.

And Cicely's face instantly went cold.

She shot me a vicious glare, her gaze never leaving me, yet her words were for Sean.

"Who said you don't have the right to deal with garbage? I made it perfectly clear that whenever I'm not at the company, every matter, big or small, is left to you."

"And you haven't disappointed me—you've cleaned out the useless people who got in through connections for me."

"This not only spares me the bad name, it also rids the company of its parasites. With abilities as outstanding as yours, of course I trust you."

"So, whatever you do now is fine."