When my mind finally processed what I was seeing, my heart sank to the pit of my stomach.

The bold headline splashed across the screen.

TECHHUB’S NEW CEO SPOTTED ON DATE NIGHT WITH FEMALE EMPLOYEE, DAUGHTER OF THE CEO OF HART GROUP

Below it was a photo of a scene I recognised all too well, one that kept me up the entire night.

I could still remember the way my breath was caught in my throat when Rhys was standing so impossibly close to me. I could still remember the warmth of his palm seeping into mine, spreading through my whole body, the moment our fingers interlocked as we faced my ex-mother-in-law.

It was undeniable, there was no good reason for us to be acting so intimately.

This is bad. Very, very bad.

Regret crashed over me, and I wished I hadn’t stayed for dinner last night, then none of this would have happened. I should have been more careful. I should have controlled myself and not made a scene in front of a crowd where smartphones would become the death of me.

But it was too late now.

"So it’s true?" Sara’s high-pitched voice jolted me back to the present. She let out a humourless laugh, loud enough to draw the attention of everyone around us. Not that they were subtle in casting judgmental looks my way.

"You’ve been sleeping with Mr Carson? Is that how you got the job so quickly?" She asked, her voice dripping with accusation as she stepped towards me.

My heart was pounding against my chest, but I tried to stay as calm as I could. "That’s not true."

"As if I would believe a single word that comes out of your mouth. I knew it from the first time I saw you. You were always clinging onto Mr Carson, always taking any chance to touch him, even openly flirting with him in the office. Everyone could smell the desperation radiating off you."

I had my eyes fixed on her, but even out of the corner of my eye, I could see the rest of my colleagues nodding along. The murmurs grew louder with each passing second.

"Why would the daughter of the CEO of Hart Group work for their biggest competitor?"

"I bet her family doesn’t even want her, that’s why."

"They must be ashamed of her."

The rumours continued to fly, but they weren’t wrong.

"He even threatened to fire me...because of you," Sara sneered this time, her expression full of disdain as she narrowed her eyes on me. "And he even bought you a new dress, didn’t he?"

I steadied myself, my eyes never leaving hers, when I finally spoke up. "You need to watch what you say," I warned, my voice low.

Her eyes widened slightly as she took a step back, as though she had not expected me to react the way I did.

"What...did you just say?"

"I said, you need to watch what you say. I did not sleep with Mr Carson to get this role. I could sue you for defamation if I wanted to. And you should know, since you read that article...my father is the CEO of Hart Group, so money isn’t an issue."

Her features froze in shock as she blinked up at me, and the words remained lodged in her throat for the longest time. I watched as she pressed her lips into a tight line, her nails pressing into her palms as she clenched her fists tightly beside her.

"I’m sure you wouldn’t want that, right, Sara?"

She was still staring at me, not a word left her lips. "

The corner of my lips twitched slightly, curling into a faint, cold smile. "Just as I thought."

Then I slowly shifted my gaze to the rest of the office, letting my eyes sweep across every single face that had been so eager to whisper about me just moments ago. Their smug expressions faltered under the weight of my stare. This time, my eyes were glinting with a newfound determination. I wasn’t going to let them get to me.

"And I suggest the rest of you think very carefully before spreading rumours," I said, my voice calm but edged with steel. "The consequences might not be something you can afford to handle."

A heavy silence fell over the office. No one spoke. No one dared. Tension crackled in the air, hanging over us like a thick blanket.

The same people who had been whispering behind my back only seconds ago now looked away, suddenly finding their desks, their laptops, and even the floor far more interesting than meeting my eyes.

Sara’s face had gone deathly pale. Her lips parted as though she wanted to argue, but no sound came out. The confidence she had strutted over with was gone, replaced by visible panic.

As satisfying as this was, there were more important things to do. I couldn’t care less about the rumours about me right now, I needed to fix things before it got worse. I had already ruined our relationship and broken off our engagement seven years ago, I couldn’t be the reason he loses his job seven years later.

My own job might be on the line, my revenge plan might no longer work if I were fired, and I might come to deeply regret it one day. But I needed to do what I could to help Rhys. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Before I could stop myself, I made a beeline towards where his office was. Everything inside of me was screaming at me, telling me how bad of an idea this is, that I had not a single clue as to what I was doing or what the plan even was in the first place.

But still, I found myself pushing open the door to his office, budging in without a single warning, headfirst into something I might not be able to handle.

Cool air hit me as soon as the door swung open, and all three pairs of eyes fell on me.

"Evelyn?"