Chapter 2

Linnea's POV

"It's Nerissa. My coworker." I leaned weakly against the wall as her face surfaced in my mind.

She used to be a nobody who barely spoke up in meetings. But recently, she’d completely transformed. The worst part was her voice—like honey-laced poison. Whenever she spoke, she could suck the soul right out of a man's bones.

"Look at your flat figure, Linnea. Can't you learn how to ooze some sex appeal like the others?"

Dorian's recent, inexplicable disgust toward me suddenly made perfect sense.

"Want payback, Linnea?" Ambrose's thumb pressed against my lower lip. A dark fire raged in his deep eyes. "Just nod, and I'll make them pay."

"No..." I shook my head, tears welling up again. "Ambrose, I don't want to become a psycho like them. I just want to secure my promotion tomorrow, and then I'm cutting those scumbags out of my life."

Ambrose looked at me for a long time, his expression unreadable. Finally, he just patted my head. "Okay. Whatever you decide, I'm with you."

I thought if I just swallowed this blood, life could go on.

I was dead wrong. The next morning's corporate announcement ground my last shred of pride into the dirt.

"The finalized candidate for this quarter's Senior Manager promotion is—Nerissa Cole!" The HR Director's voice echoed through the lobby over the microphone.

My head snapped up. My brain buzzed.

That was my spot. I had pulled three months of all-nighters and landed two core clients to lock that position down. Even my direct supervisor had privately congratulated me.

Now, my name was replaced by that shameless homewrecker.

Up front, Nerissa swayed onto the stage in her red-bottom heels. The man adjusting the microphone for her was my ex, Dorian—his hand casually brushing her waist, his eyes full of doting affection.

"Thank you to corporate for your guidance." Nerissa leaned into the mic, her intoxicating, spine-tingling voice flooding the room. "And a special thanks to Manager Dorian. If it weren't for his late-night, 'hands-on' coaching, I would never have secured this spot."

The room erupted in applause. I felt like I was plunged into an ice bath, trembling all over.

As the meeting wrapped up, I tried to leave, only to be blocked by the pungent smell of expensive perfume.

"Hey, Linnea." Nerissa stood in my way with a coffee cup, looking down at me.

"Move." I glared at her.

"Don't be so prickly." She leaned in, that hypnotic voice sliding past my eardrums, dripping with nauseating smugness. "I know you worked hard for this. But burying your head in work isn't enough. You need to learn some 'internal networking skills', right?"

She emphasized the words, her provocative gaze sweeping over my body, mocking my plainness.

"You spread your legs in his bed last night, and today you steal my job." I lowered my voice, fists clenched white. "You're disgusting."

"Disgusting?" Nerissa chuckled, leaning right into my ear. In a whisper only I could hear, she breathed:

"But Dorian is truly addicted to me. Just remember one thing: stop clinging to things out of your league. Whether it's a job, or a man."

It felt like a rusty knife plunging straight through my heart.

I grabbed my bag and walked stiffly to the elevator.

The moment the doors closed, a bone-deep chill crept up my spine.

That black USB drive yesterday—no return address, no note, appearing silently on my desk.

The video was filmed from a high angle on the bookshelf facing the bed. It wasn't a hidden camera—someone had set the shot up perfectly in advance.

Who else could casually set a camera facing that bed, other than the person rolling around in it?

It was Nerissa.

She purposely filmed it and sent it to me anonymously. She wanted to drive me insane, force me out of Dorian's life, take my man, and then use his power to steal the future I'd bled for.

From start to finish, I was just an idiot toy in her hands.

I leaned against the cold metal wall, gasping for air. My chest felt like it was stuffed with broken glass.

They took my three-year relationship, robbed my career, and used the most vicious methods to grind my dignity into the dirt.

Trembling, I pulled out my phone and dialed the only number I had left.

"Linnea?" Ambrose's voice carried zero hesitation.

"Ambrose, it hurts..." I bit my lip, tears and blood dripping onto the screen. Every word dripped with overwhelming resentment. "She's pushing me over the edge! She wants to destroy everything I have!"

"Listen to me, baby. Don't cry."

Ambrose's voice was incredibly soft, but across the line, I heard him let out a low, dark chuckle.

"Come to me," he said, laced with an irresistible command. "I've got you."