Chapter 2

Her threat wasn't subtle at all. The subtext was crystal clear: apologize, or get fired.

I didn't care about the job. I had only taken it in the first place because I was bored at home and wanted something to pass the time.

But I cared about my reputation.

I hadn't done a single thing wrong, yet some creep I didn't even know was branding me as a gold-digging homewrecker.

There was no way in hell I was swallowing this disrespect!

Suppressing my fury, I forced myself to stay calm and systematically took screenshots of every single defamatory message in the group.

Gathering evidence was step one.

Because I didn't reply immediately, Ethan got even cockier.

He dropped a photo into the chat. It was a shot of my back as I was stepping into a car.

A Rolls-Royce Ghost my dad had bought about a year ago.

"Stella Vance, didn't you claim I was making things up?"

"Take a good look, everyone. Who is this woman?"

Chloe instantly replied with a thumbs-up emoji: "I sit right next to Stella. That brown designer coat is definitely hers."

Other coworkers joined the frenzy. "Damn, so the rumor about a gold digger in our office is officially confirmed?!"

"Obviously! Notice how she suddenly went mute in the chat?"

"Bet she's about to quit and delete her account."

While everyone was gossiping, Ethan tagged me three times in a row.

"Stella Vance, even though you've been used by some old creep, I'm not a heartless guy. If you come crawling back to me, I'll still take you."

Once Ethan flexed his status as the boss's son, several suck-ups in the department rushed to flatter him.

"Holy shit, that ride must cost half a million! How loaded is that old man?"

"Ethan really is the bigger man here. What a gentleman!"

"If you ask me, girls like that are trash! She'll definitely cheat on you later!"

"Let her try! I'd beat her senseless if she did!"

Beside me, Brenda poked me again. "Did you hear me? Apologize to Ethan right now!"

I inhaled slowly. "That car belongs to my family. My dad came to pick me up and take me home. Is there an issue?"

A second later, Ethan sent a voice note.

He let out a sneering, sarcastic chuckle. "Your dad? You mean your sugar daddy, right?"

Brenda glared at me, exasperated. "Are you deaf? I told you to apologize!"

She reached out to snatch my phone, but I blocked her arm firmly.

Behind us, Chloe covered her mouth and giggled maliciously. "Hey Stella, I just have one question."

"Does that old geezer of yours smell like a nursing home?"

Before the laughter could spread, the sharp wail of a police siren echoed from downstairs.

The room froze. Brenda turned pale, staring at me in shock. "You called the cops?!"

I let out a cold smirk. "Why wouldn't I? Did you expect me to just stand here and let you slander me?"

When the officers arrived, they took down my basic information and turned on their body cameras.

Under the camera's lens, I handed my phone over and walked them through every single message in the group chat.

I stated clearly that this was targeted, malicious defamation and sexual harassment.

After getting the rundown, the officers had security locate the infamous Ethan Miller.

When we found him, he was sitting on a couch, glued to his phone, furiously typing away in the chat.

Seeing the uniforms, his eyes flickered with a hint of panic. "What's this about?"

The officer didn't waste words. "Do you know Stella Vance?"

Ethan let out an arrogant scoff and nodded. "Of course I do."

"She's my ex."

Hiding behind the officer, I couldn't take his lies for another second. I stepped forward, confronting him directly. "Ethan Miller, what kind of sick lies are you spewing?"

"I don't even know you! You dare lie to the police right to their faces...?"

Mid-sentence, I stopped dead in my tracks.

Because the man standing in front of me wasn't a stranger. In fact, I recognized his face all too well...