"Besides, to you, it's just one lost championship. It's not a big deal. But for Sophie, this competition is crucial.

"You've won the design championship so many times. It's time to make room for younger talent, isn't it?

"They're the future of this company. I'm thinking about the company. Stop being so unreasonable."

After saying that, he shoved me aside, opened the drawer, and took my design files.

The force sent me crashing to the floor, fracturing my already injured hands a second time.

I looked down at my arms wrapped in bandages and gave a bitter laugh.

I had fought for the championship year after year only to raise my value, negotiate with the board chair, and secure Marcus's promotion.

Now he was accusing me of being selfish.

The department employees saw what happened and immediately joined in, scolding me without caring who was right or wrong.

"An ungrateful person like her isn't worth another word."

"Exactly. She only cares about herself. As long as she's here, no one else in the department will ever get a chance."

"Anyone who damages team unity should be pushed out of the company."

Someone picked up a broom and swept it aggressively near my feet, as though they meant to drive me out right there.

I was about to speak when someone shoved me from behind. I stumbled and almost fell.

The movement pulled at both injured hands, and a piercing pain shot through me.

I clenched my teeth, cold sweat breaking across my back.

Seeing sweat bead across my forehead, Marcus finally spoke up.

"Enough. Stop messing around.

"Her hands are broken. She's still a patient. The competition is over anyway. Everyone say less.

"Don't talk about firing her again. If she can give up one competition slot, she can give up a second. That's good for everyone in the department."

On the surface, Marcus was defending me.

In truth, he had just handed the department a reason to hurt me again.

If my hands kept being injured before competitions, someone else could always replace me.

Then they would not have to work hard to earn a slot, nor resent me for winning every year.

Marcus could use that to win loyalty and establish his authority.

What a clever calculation.

The fake concern on his face only made my heart colder. I no longer wanted to argue.

The pain in my arms reminded me that if I delayed treatment any longer, my hands might never heal properly.

But when I turned my head, I saw the usually proud Marcus personally pouring tea for Sophie.

He peeled an apple for her, then carved the pieces into little rabbits before handing them over.

The people around them immediately exchanged knowing looks.

Sophie blushed and said, "Don't look at me like that. He's only taking care of a junior designer."

That was what she said, but everyone around her smirked with obvious understanding.

The sight pressed against my chest until even breathing felt difficult.

I had no desire to keep watching. Under the strange gazes of the crowd, I fled the office.

Sophie had never been qualified to join the company in the first place.

She had simply been lucky enough to run into Marcus when he was heading out.

They had not seen each other in years, yet after one meal, Marcus arranged everything for her.

Just like that, she became a member of the senior design team.

At first, I thought she was honest and hardworking, only a little weak in technical skill.

Then I asked her to help organize a draft and discovered she did not even understand basic color correction.

From that day on, I realized Sophie's problem was not that her design ability was weak.

She had no design ability at all.

I told Marcus many times that she could not pass the monthly review and that keeping her there would only hurt her.

Every time, Marcus agreed. Every time, he did nothing.

Then I caught him secretly giving my drafts to Sophie.

Only then did I understand. It was not that he refused to listen. He simply had no intention of removing Sophie.

Even after I caught him, he did not stop. Instead, he asked if I had any better preliminary designs.

After all the years we had been together, the first time he begged me for anything was for Sophie, a useless opportunist who could not design.

When I refused, he pleaded.

"Sophie can't leave the company yet. Her younger brother is seriously ill and in the hospital. He needs a huge amount of money every month for treatment.

"I'm her mentor. I can't abandon her.

"You understand, right?"

I softened when I heard that and handed over a design I had just finished.

Only later did I learn there was no sick brother. It was just another lie Marcus had used to manipulate me.

The elevator reached the first floor.

I walked outside and hailed a cab to the hospital.

At my request, the driver opened my contacts and dialed a number that had been buried for years.

As the phone rang, my heart tightened.

The next second, a familiar teasing male voice came through.

"Well, if it isn't our little star. What made you remember your old mentor today?"

Hearing that familiar tone, the tension in my chest finally loosened.

"Dean, does the offer you made me back then still stand?"

He fell silent for several seconds.

Just when I thought that was the end of it and was about to hang up, his excited voice burst through the receiver.

"Julia, do you have any idea how many years I've been waiting for you to ask that?

"I'll book the ticket right now. Pack your things. When you land, Carla will pick you up."

Hearing long-lost concern, my nose stung and my vision blurred.

But I could not leave yet. My resignation process was not complete, and there were things I still had to settle with Marcus.

I interrupted Dean's rapid-fire instructions.

"I'll come in a few days. I still have handover work to finish."

After agreeing on a deadline, I hung up.

Dean was now a well-known figure in the design world. He had opened a thriving design firm with several other former classmates and mentors.

Back then, they all told me not to leave, that I should stay with them and grow steadily.

Design required focus and energy. I had known that.

But I touched the plain ring Marcus had given me, and my decision hardened.

I could not let Marcus struggle alone in a strange city while I enjoyed stability.

Against everyone's objections, I had followed Marcus to this unfamiliar city.

I thought that if we could survive the distance and the hardship, life would finally settle into something smooth and lasting.

Then Sophie appeared.

At first, I did not take her concern for Marcus seriously. I saw it as the bond between a mentor and his junior colleague.

Then one night, because Sophie casually said she wanted dessert, Marcus drove across half the city to buy every flavor he could find.

That was when I realized something was wrong.

I had a high fever that night and could barely be left alone.

Yet he went out without hesitation.

At the entryway, he finally turned back to look at me.

I thought he had remembered I was sick and needed him.

Instead, he only said coldly, "Fever medicine is in the TV cabinet drawer. Remember to take it."

Then he left without looking back.

Only when I heard the car start outside did I slowly come back to myself.

Thinking of that, bitterness rose in my chest.

The cab happened to stop at the hospital entrance.

I had just reached the ward door when I ran straight into Marcus.

He was carrying a fruit basket filled with oranges, the one fruit I was allergic to.

He sat down, peeled one, and held it out to me.

When I did not take it, he frowned.

Then he looked down and saw both my hands wrapped in bandages. A flash of surprise crossed his eyes.

"Is it that serious? You can't even move them?"

He set the orange on the table.

When I remained silent, he continued as if it did not matter.

"I know I wronged you this time, but I can promise you I truly did it for your own good.

"You've occupied the department's only competition slot for years. People already had complaints. Two days before the contest, I heard that some employees wanted to jointly report you for design fraud, so I stopped them.

"Of course, I believe your character. With your talent, you'd never do something like that. But if it reached the board, even a false accusation would cause trouble. It would damage department unity, and it would be bad for you.

"You know how people in the company are. They love rumors. Once this got out, it would be even harder for you to stay here."

He paused deliberately, looked at me, and continued.

"That's why I had no choice. Julia, you understand me, right?"

I could not help laughing softly.

He had said so much, but in the end, it was still for Sophie's sake.

If that rumor spread, the board would investigate. What he feared was that Sophie's faked assessment work would be exposed.

If he had really been protecting me, he should not have stopped the report.

He should not have made a decision on his own, sabotaged my car, and broken both my hands.

What a wonderful boyfriend I had, willing to destroy me so his protege would not be forced out.

When I said nothing, he continued.

"I asked the doctor. Your hands should recover in a little over a month.

"You can take this chance to rest. You've worked so hard for the company all these years..."