Chapter 5

I didn't resign immediately because I still had one last project to hand over.

The project was tied to the entire team's bonuses. I didn't want to walk away and drag my team down.

But the day before the contract signing.

The moment I walked into the office, I found a crowd gathered around my desk.

"Chloe is here!"

Someone yelled. The crowd turned around, glaring at me in unison.

Their eyes were filled with disgust.

"Chloe, why did you steal Amber's proposal?"

The person standing up from my computer desk was Ethan.

"This is her hard work. You stole it just to boost your own project?" He looked at me with deep disappointment. "Do you have any professional ethics left?"

Like a bolt from the blue, I pushed through the crowd in disbelief and stared at the screen.

One file was Amber's proposal, and the other was opened from my folder.

The creation times of the two files were only one day apart.

And mine was logged one day later than Amber's!

"That's impossible."

I looked up, speaking clearly.

"I wrote this proposal entirely by myself. Every single line is my own work."

"If anyone stole anything, she stole it from me."

"Chloe, I know you don't like me, but the proof is right there. My file was created before yours," Amber stood there, her eyes red. "I've already told you, I only see Ethan as a brother."

"Even if you like him and are jealous of my promotion, you shouldn't try to ruin my career like this."

The office erupted.

"What? She likes the boss? How does Amber know?"

"Chloe must have been throwing herself at him privately."

"They're such a cute couple, how can Chloe be so shameless?"

"Did she fail to seduce the boss, so she stole Amber's work to force him to promote her?"

The accusations turned from workplace gossip to disgusting slut-shaming, each comment viler than the last.

Surrounded by the crowd like a criminal being pelted with stones, I clenched my fists and stared straight at Ethan.

"Ethan," I said, my nails digging into my palms. "Tell them. What is our relationship?"

Ethan met my gaze, a flicker of hesitation crossing his eyes.

But in the end, he turned away.

"We are strictly boss and subordinate."

"And you are an employee who stole her colleague's work and refuses to admit it."

My hands went limp.

My heart completely died.

"Fine."

"Whoever wants the proposal can have it."

"It's just a piece of useless garbage anyway."

I looked up, smiled at everyone, and walked out.

"Chloe!"

Behind me, Ethan watched me leave, a sudden, inexplicable sense of dread washing over him.

He remembered her saying "we're over" and the resignation letter.

But the next second, he shook his head.

No way.

Chloe was only doing this to force him to pay attention to her, both professionally and romantically.

She would never actually walk away.

Ethan was completely confident.

But three days later, when he realized Chloe hadn't sent him a single message and hadn't shown up to work—

He finally started to panic.

"Help me set things up. I'm taking someone important out to dinner tonight."

He rarely asked his friends for help, but he invited them over to help set up a candlelight dinner. He had bought a expensive gift, planning to swallow his pride and apologize to her.

But the moment he opened his apartment door.

All the color drained from Ethan's face.

Every single gift he had given Chloe over the past three years—

Was packed neatly inside black disposable trash bags, piled right in the middle of the living room!

"What the hell is this?"

"Ethan, are you sure this is the right address for the flower delivery?"

Amid the confusion, Ethan's phone rang.

"Sir, no one is answering the door. The neighbor said the resident of this unit quit her job and moved abroad..."

"What did you say?!"