Humiliated by His Fiancée, He Begged Me to Stay

Chapter 8

So it was all just another coincidence.

He closed the distance between us, grabbed my chin, and pressed his lips to mine. The smoke invaded my throat and nose, the sting in my eyes forcing me to pull away.

I stepped back, then back again.

"Vanessa sent me!" My voice rose, loud enough to trigger the hallway lights.

Adrian frowned, snatched my keys, and dragged me inside the apartment.

It was my first time seeing the place. My unopened packages were stacked by the door. When he yanked me in, my foot caught on a box, sending a sharp pain through my shin.

The furniture was nice enough, decorated in the cream-colored style I loved in college, not the mid-century modern I favored during my time in Germland. Before I could take it all in, Adrian kissed me again, aggressive and suffocating.

When he finally let go, I stared at the crushed cigarette on the floor and almost laughed.

The Adrian I knew never smoked. And because of my health issues, I couldn't stand even a trace of it.

"When did you start smoking?" I asked, frowning slightly.

"Chloe likes it. She said her father always smelled of tobacco, and it made her feel close to him." Adrian sat on the sofa, his gaze no longer on me.

"Did you need something, Mr. Graves?"

I was losing patience. I just wanted him gone so I could shower and scrub this smell off me.

"Ran into you by chance. Anyway, Chloe graduates from university this year. I'm planning to place her in your project team."

He looked at me, his eyes softening whenever he mentioned Chloe. When his gaze returned to me, it was filled with mockery again.

"People like you work for promotions and pay raises. Chloe is different. She needs to be named an outstanding graduate. Eventually, she'll be your team leader."

Adrian stood and said coldly, "She lives upstairs from you. Make sure to show her the ropes."

Then he left.

I scrubbed hard at my lips, still tasting smoke. Chloe, Chloe, always Chloe. Was the next step that after I hit the five-hundred-million target, she would get all the credit because she was his childhood sweetheart?

Five years ago, he walked away without looking back and left me standing at death's door.

Five years later, he revised the contract to saddle me with impossible penalties. Was it all just so his precious Chloe could be named outstanding graduate?

I laughed.

Laughed until I felt unhinged.

The smoke smell clung to me. I washed my hair three times, brushed my teeth five times. By the time I finished, it was one in the morning. I looked around at the mess, the unopened packages, and felt even more drained.

I spent half an hour unpacking the gifts I had prepared, placing each one carefully in a gift bag. Then I found my driver's license, issued five years ago. I stared at it for a long time, then gave up. The standards here were different from the ones abroad. I would just take a cab.

The next morning, I struggled to the elevator with a dozen bags and pressed the button. The doors opened, and there stood Chloe and Adrian, almost kissing.

Adrian's face was its usual arctic self, unchanged.

Chloe, though, was flushed. Her expression soured when she saw me, probably annoyed that I had caught them flirting.

I stood awkwardly in the elevator, watching the numbers change, silently begging them to hurry so I could escape.

When it finally hit one, before I could move, Chloe spoke.

"Iris, it's my first day too. Want to go together?"

More fake politeness.

"I wouldn't want to trouble you, Ms. Bennett."

I tried to leave, but Adrian blocked my way.

"Iris, are you trying to disrespect Chloe?"