Chapter 2

For the three days it took to arrange my mother's funeral, I moved like a walking corpse.

I locked myself in the cramped bedroom that had once been hers, crying without pause, day and night.

Until the third night, deep in the dark hours.

While sorting through her belongings, I accidentally knocked over an old, rusted tin box.

What spilled out were nothing but the discarded design drafts I had tossed away over the past three years.

Every single one had been carefully smoothed out and folded by my mother.

On top sat a crumpled hospital payment notice.

On the back, in trembling handwriting, was a single line:

"Go chase your dreams. My Nora is priceless."

Staring at those words, it felt as if a bucket of ice water had been dumped over my muddled mind, jolting me awake.

How could I hide here crying like some worthless wreck?

I clutched the note tightly, wiping the tears from my face bit by bit.

When I walked back into the Evander Group building in a black professional suit and heels, my coworkers all stared at me with strange, knowing looks.

"Did you hear? She got dumped by the CEO."

"Long overdue, if you ask me. Just a gold-digger who actually thought she could turn into a phoenix."

"Ms. Mallory is the real socialite. What is she compared to her? Just a cheap canary."

I didn't spare them a glance, walking straight toward the CEO's office.

Pushing the door open, I found Evander reviewing documents.

"So you're back," he scoffed.

"Three days of throwing a tantrum should be enough. There's a black card on the desk with a million dollars in it—consider it compensation. Behave yourself from now on, and don't upset Mallory again."

He thought I was playing hard to get.

He thought my mother's death was nothing but a lie fabricated to extort money.

I didn't touch the black card. Instead, I slammed a thick folder onto his desk.

"What is this?" Evander frowned.

"My resignation letter," I said, staring at him coldly. "Along with a full financial settlement for the past five years I've spent as your private assistant and Chief Secretary."

Right then, the door to the office's lounge opened, and Mallory walked out holding two cups of coffee.

Seeing me, the corner of her mouth curled into a venomous smile.

"Oh my, Veronica's back?"

"How's your mother doing?"

She strutted toward me in her heels and deliberately flicked her wrist.

The scalding coffee spilled all over the hem of my skirt, even splashing onto the back of my hand, instantly scalding it red.

"Oops, so sorry, my hand slipped." Mallory covered her mouth, feigning innocence. "But it's fine, really—you used to do this kind of work anyway, didn't you? Serving people? There's a rag over there. Would you mind wiping the floor clean, Ms. Canary?"

She looked at me provocatively, waiting for my rage or humiliation.

Evander sat in his chair, making no move to stop her, even wearing a look of amused indulgence, as if watching a show.

I pulled out a tissue, calmly wiped the coffee stain off my hand, then lifted my eyes to look at Mallory.

"If I were you, I wouldn't go around flaunting a necklace bought with a dead woman's money. It makes you look not just cheap, but vicious."

"Who are you calling cheap?!"

"You know exactly who!"

"Enough, Veronica!" Evander barked. "What's gotten into you?"

I turned my head to look at Evander.

"Evander, this folder contains a detailed record of the personal expenses I've covered for you over the past five years, along with bank statements proving you misappropriated $500,000 from my personal account without my consent."

My voice wasn't loud, but every word landed like a hammer strike.

"Unless you want tomorrow's headline in the Wall Street Journal to read 'CEO of Evander Group Accused of Misappropriation of Duties and Theft of Personal Assets,' you will transfer that $500,000—along with five years of legally owed overtime pay and reimbursements—back into my account in full, before midnight tonight."

Evander froze.

He looked as if he had never seen me like this before.

In his mind, I had always been the docile, obedient woman who would swallow any humiliation for the sake of one of his smiles.

"Are you threatening me?" His eyes narrowed, and he stepped closer, dangerous.

"It's a warning," I said, meeting his gaze without flinching. "And starting now, I'm no longer your secretary."

I gave him one last look, my eyes filled with undisguised disgust.