Humiliated by His Fiancée, He Begged Me to Stay

Chapter 4

"Since the contract is signed, Ms. Cole should fulfill her obligations." Adrian, whose face had been dark moments before, brightened the moment he saw Chloe.

He looked at her, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

The two of them looked like a perfect couple, making me feel like the other woman trying to come between them.

Frustration simmered inside me. If circumstances hadn't forced my hand, I never would have signed a contract riddled with so many traps.

Now, before I'd even officially started, the boss's girlfriend was already being so "thoughtful" on my behalf.

Damned if I do, damned if I don't. I might as well go down with some dignity.

I steeled myself and said with feigned indifference, "If this agreement is such a problem for you, Mr. Graves, we can tear it up. With the Graves Corporation's resources, finding another influencer in my niche shouldn't be difficult."

"Iris!"

Adrian's voice crackled with irritation, but beside him, Chloe's eyes lit up. She couldn't quite hide her smile and had to look down to cover it.

That's when it hit me. Saintly little Chloe, playing the generous ex-girlfriend, had so selflessly offered suggestions to benefit the company while her current boyfriend worked with his ex.

It wasn't about helping the company at all. It was about making me back off.

Thinking about how Adrian doted on her, I felt even more certain I shouldn't stay at this company.

"If I remember correctly, Ms. Cole signed a performance-based agreement. The contract process is complete, and the Graves Corporation doesn't run a charity." Adrian's eyes turned cold, his words merciless. "If you have no objections, Ms. Cole, please come to my office tomorrow with the $57 million penalty fee., plus the five million the finance department already transferred to you."

He turned and walked away.

Without looking back.

Sixty-two million. Where was I supposed to get that kind of money?

My already sour mood plummeted. I stumbled to the parking lot in a daze, but before I could even get in my car, I saw gentle Bennett Wenning reaching up to dab sweat from Adrian's forehead with a tissue.

As they drove off, I caught her glancing quickly in my direction.

The look of victory was unmistakable.

All I could do was slump in my car, thinking about the five million already spent and the fifty-seven million penalty. I let out a bitter laugh. Maybe if I kept my mouth shut, Adrian, busy as he was, wouldn't bother with such a small sum.

My w******p pinged.

I opened the sixty-second voice message from Vanessa.

"Iris, are you insane? Are you trying to throw money away? If you want to be a charity case, make me the beneficiary! Do you know what the Graves Corporation is? Do you know how rich Adrian really is? Iris."

A full sixty seconds. I couldn't even bring myself to listen to the end.

Well, that was that. No amount of thick skin could change the outcome now.

My heart sank even further.

Still fuming, Vanessa sent several more sixty-second messages. I listened half-heartedly, then she sent a few texts.

"How about this. Apologize to Mr. Graves. Say you had too much to drink and weren't thinking straight. Anyway, it's not like you two know each other. Come on, gorgeous. Even if it's just for your own sake, you have to swallow your pride, right?"

Before I could figure out how to respond, my phone rang.

The number was familiar. I recognized it immediately. It was Adrian's.

Was he really going to unleash the Graves Corporation's legal team on me for breach of contract?

I steeled myself and answered.

"Iris. Have you made up your mind? You want out?"