The dried streaks on my cheeks were once again wet by a new bout of fresh tears.

After a long time, I raised my phone with shaking hands and dialed Noah's number.

"Noah, I fell in love with the wrong person. You can go ahead and rescind your investment, then get Starlight back. I'll return in a week for the arranged marriage."

…

The next day, the company held a meeting in its conference room. Along both sides of the long table sat a row of stony-faced shareholders.

Meanwhile, Hendrick, seated at the head of the table, furrowed his brow in a deep frown. Slightly off to the side behind him was Selena, her eyes lowered demurely as she sat there quietly.

Liam Carlton was the first to speak up. He slammed a document onto the table loudly and asked, "Hendrick Shaw, you'd better give us an explanation for this!

"On the biggest sales day of the year, a one-carat diamond was sold off at a mere one cent! 200 million dollars, gone in an instant, just like that!

"How did such a ridiculous, basic mistake happen? Is the company's risk control system simply for show?"

"Mr. Carlton, please calm down first…" Hendrick tried to placate the irate man.

"Calm down? That's a whopping 200 million dollars, not two!" Another shareholder smacked the table and leaped to his feet. "If you don't tell us who was responsible for this mistake today, we definitely won't let this matter go!"

The atmosphere in the conference room was tense as everyone's gaze was focused on Hendrick.

I took a deep breath, ready to reveal the truth about how Selena was the culprit behind this major loss.

Before I could say a word, the manager of the public relations department suddenly barged in. His face was deathly pale as he raised his tablet and cried, "Mr. Shaw, bad news! An uproar has broken out online!"

The next moment, the trending topics on Twitter had been projected onto the large screen.

"Breaking news! Noelle Turner, fiancee of Henelle Technologies' CEO, deliberately caused the company to lose 200 million dollars out of jealousy over a favored assistant!"

The post went on to reveal in detail how I had supposedly been overcome by personal dissatisfaction and used my position to change the diamond's price from the backend. All this was just a scheme to get revenge on Hendrick and Selena.

Attached were several blurry screenshots of the so-called evidence, along with some leaked information from "anonymous" employees.

The comments section had long since exploded, with the netizens all lambasting me for being a wicked and ruthless superior.

My mind went blank as I stiffly turned to Hendrick.

"Noelle Turner, you did this!" Liam pointed a finger at me, utterly incensed. "Because of your jealousy, the company has suffered such a significant loss, both financially and reputation-wise!"

"It wasn't me!" I immediately protested. "This is slander! The real culprit of this incident is—"

"Enough!" Hendrick swiftly cut me off, a complex look in his eyes. "Now that the incident has already happened, we should be focusing on how to calm the public opinion and restore the company's reputation!

"Noelle Turner, you're temporarily banned from getting involved in any of the company's matters."

I stared at him in disbelief. "Hendrick, how could you…"

"Please escort Ms. Turner to the warehouse so she can calm down."

He avoided my gaze, instead turning to give orders to the security guards already waiting at the door.

The two security guards instantly stepped forward to grab me, one on each side. No matter how hard I struggled, they never released their grip on me. Eventually, I was dragged all the way to the company's warehouse.

The pitch-black darkness of the warehouse yawned before me, causing the fear hiding deep within me to roar to life.

Clutching the doorframe in a death grip, I yelled in a voice twisted with terror, "Hendrick, you know I have claustrophobia! I'll die if you lock me up in here!"

Hendrick stood several steps away from me, his lips pursed. Nevertheless, he didn't say a word.

It was Selena who strolled over to me, not at all hiding the smug delight and mockery on her face.

"Where's all that fierceness from yesterday, when you wanted to make me take responsibility? Too bad for you! Rick had already prepared from the beginning for you to take the fall for this incident."

My gaze locked onto Hendrick as I uttered, "Why?"

At last, Hendrick looked up at me and replied coldly, his voice indifferent, "Selena has only just entered the workforce, so she can't afford such a stain on her resume. She still has a long future ahead of her—"

"So what?" I interrupted him icily, though I still couldn't stop my voice from shaking. "Then it's okay for a

200-million-dollar operational blunder to suddenly appear on my resume?"

"Hendrick Shaw, what am I to you?"

Hendrick was rendered speechless at my words, irritation and frustration flashing across his face. Then, he suddenly lifted his leg and lashed out with a vicious kick at my calf.

I crashed backward into the warehouse, but before I could get up, the door had already been shut.

"Just stay there. Once things blow over, I'll let you out."

The darkness surged toward me like a syrupy tide, instantly swallowing me whole. I found it getting increasingly hard to breathe. Every gasp of air seemed to sap away more of my strength.

"Let me out! Please! I'm begging you. Let me out…" I didn't even realize that I was scratching blindly at the floor as I curled up in a corner.

The suffocating sensation pressed down on me further, growing stronger and stronger. I could feel myself slowly sinking…

Suddenly, there was a loud boom outside the door, followed by the sound of someone forcefully breaking open the steel lock.

A man radiating an air of icy composure appeared at the doorway. "Ms. Turner? I'm Mr. Turner's personal assistant, Xavier Kent. Please assist me in withdrawing the investment and getting Starlight back."

I opened my mouth to reply, but the words caught in my throat.

Right before I lost consciousness, Xavier finally realized something was wrong. He swiftly stepped forward to scoop me into his arms.

The next time I opened my eyes, the sterile scent of bleach tickled my nose.

Seeing that I was awake, Xavier immediately pulled out his phone to make a video call. "Mr. Turner, Ms. Turner is awake."

Noah appeared on the screen, his expression terrifyingly dark. "Elle, how are you feeling?"

Shaking my head, I tried to speak, but my throat was so parched that I couldn't make a sound.

"Just get some proper rest." Noah stopped me. "Once I'm finished with the summit, I'll return to the country. After that, it's time to make Hendrick pay for daring to hurt my younger sister!"

After ending the call, Xavier left to handle the divestment matter and retrieve Starlight.

Selena had been parading around with the Starlight necklace, smugly showing it off, when Xavier stopped her and ripped it away in front of everyone.

"Give it back! Hendrick gave that to me!" she shrieked.

"As if an insignificant bug like you is worthy of wearing Starlight." Xavier gazed at her, his eyes filled with contempt. "You're just dirtying it!"

Selena was so angry that her whole body was trembling. With that, she went crying to Hendrick. However, he was too busy with the company's matters to have any time for her at all.

It wasn't until the third day I was hospitalized that Hendrick finally remembered me.

Despite it only being two days since I last saw him, he was noticeably more gaunt, exhaustion lining his once confident features.

"Elle, you're awake! That's great!"

He reached my bedside in a few strides and tried to grab my hand, but I coldly avoided him. His empty hand hovered in mid-air, an awkward expression crossing his face.

"Elle, I know I was wrong and that I'm a bastard, but I really need your help right now! The company's cash flow is about to be disrupted, and those shareholders are demanding that I pay back that 200 million dollars! Could you please beg that mysterious investor to have mercy and not withdraw his investment?"

Leaning back against the headboard, I leveled a frosty gaze on him. "No."

Hendrick froze in surprise, seemingly not expecting that I would reject him so bluntly. He forcefully suppressed his frustration, exclaiming, "Elle, now isn't the time for your impulsiveness! You said it yourself before, right? The company is like our child—"

I cut him off coolly. "From the moment you slapped me for Selena and locked me up in that warehouse, it was over between us."

"You!" Hendrick choked on his anger, his face purpling with rage.

At that moment, his phone buzzed with an incoming call. With irritation seeping from every pore, he answered it.

Immediately, Selena's panicked voice came over the line. "Rick, I have terrible news! All the core team members have tendered their resignations!

"Also, the board of directors is waiting in your office right now. T-They insist on getting an explanation immediately!"

All the color drained from Hendrick's face before he spun on his heel and raced out of the room.

…

The next morning, my room door was pushed open once more.

This time, Hendrick hadn't come alone. Behind him trailed Selena, wearing a pitiful expression.

The second Selena entered the room, she immediately lunged toward my bed, tears flowing down her cheeks.

"Noelle, I was the one who spread those rumors about you online and faked those conversation records! I only framed you because I was afraid of being held accountable for that significant loss. Please don't blame Rick! He knew nothing!

"Could you please beg your sugar daddy–I mean, that mysterious investor of yours? Please call him to save the company!"

Hendrick gazed at Selena, his eyes filled with heartache.

"Elle, Lena simply had a momentary lapse in judgment." Hendrick then turned to look at me and said in a truly nauseating display of self-righteousness, "Since she's being so sincere, can't you be more magnanimous and forgive her?"

I watched their clumsy, awkward pity act with detached coldness. A sneer curled my lips as I asked, "Are you done with your performance? If so, please don't disturb my rest and leave."

Selena's crying abruptly ceased as she shot me a look of disbelief.

Frowning deeply, Hendrick snapped with obvious displeasure. "Noelle Turner! Lena's been very understanding, so why are you still so aggressive?

"Be a little more magnanimous, will you? The company is in danger right now, and with just one phone call from you, everything can be resolved!"

"Magnanimous?" I cut him off from speaking further. "Hendrick Shaw, you're telling me to be magnanimous to someone who spread false rumors about me to frame me?

"You want me to forgive someone who clearly knew the truth, yet still insisted on throwing me under the bus. I almost died!"

With every word out of my mouth, Hendrick paled even further.

"Your lousy performance is utterly wasted on me!" I declared firmly, "I'm definitely not making that call!"

"You!" Rendered speechless at my behavior, Hendrick was so infuriated that his whole body shook. "Noelle, are you truly so heartless that you'd stand by and do nothing as the company goes under?"

Just then, Selena took Hendrick's arm and uttered in a sinister tone, "Rick, forget it. Since Noelle is adamant about not helping us, let's move on to plan B."

A conflicted look entered Hendrick's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by ruthlessness. "Okay."

Their exchange had alarm bells ringing in my head, and I instinctively clambered out of the bed to run.

However, Hendrick darted forward, whipped out a handkerchief from his pocket, and pressed it over my mouth and nose.

"Mmph!" I lashed out with my hands and feet, but I was still too frail to win against him.

Seconds later, my vision went dark as I lost consciousness.

An unknown amount of time passed before I woke up in a daze. I discovered that I was lying on a hotel bed, clad only in a black, skimpy dress that was so translucent that it left nothing to the imagination.

I struggled to sit up, but my entire body felt limp and weak.

At that moment, Hendrick's sycophantic voice drifted in from the living room. "Mr. Zinch, I've heard that you like untouched women.

"I've already taken care of everything; she's waiting for you in bed. I'm certain she meets all your standards."

Selena quickly chimed in as well, "That's right, Mr. Zinch. I even changed her clothes into something that I'm sure you'll love…"

Hendrick added urgently, "Then, about that 200 million dollar investment…"

My heart sank as despair washed over me, chilling me to the bone.

Hendrick had actually drugged me and was using me as a bargaining chip to source funds!

"The investment?" Desmond Zinch cut him off, "We'll see after I inspect the goods."

With that, I heard footsteps drawing closer to the bedroom.

Hendrick hastily followed and simpered, "Rest assured, Mr. Zinch, she's definitely top quality!"

Following that, the door was pushed open before Desmond strode inside. His beady eyes, reminiscent of a snake's, rove over my body lustfully.

Behind him was Hendrick, an obsequious smile on his face. "I'll be honest with you—I've never even held my fiancee's hand. I was just waiting—"

However, when Desmond got a good look at my face, the lecherous leer on his lips vanished instantly. The next moment, an expression of sheer terror took over his countenance.

"M-Ms. Turner!"