Before he could finish, I cut him off.

"Marcus, we're breaking up."

He froze. The words he had been about to say vanished.

When he reacted, he asked in shock, "Why?

"I don't accept this!"

Then he remembered the rumors from the office that he and Sophie were together and assumed that was what bothered me.

He immediately explained, "Don't listen to the department gossip. Sophie and I are only close because I mentored her.

"If anything were going to happen between us, would we have waited until now?"

I had heard that excuse so many times I was tired of it.

Every time, he used it to silence me.

And every time before this, I believed him. I thought their relationship was just unusually close.

But every incident after that made doubt impossible to ignore.

What happened today only gave me a chance to say what I should have said long ago.

Seeing the reluctance in his eyes, I exposed him coldly.

"Isn't it exactly what you want if I break up with you first?

"Then you can openly treat Sophie well without coming up with excuses every time.

"And you won't have to argue with me or give me the silent treatment over her anymore."

As soon as I finished, Marcus's face darkened. He stood and slapped me again.

"How many times do I have to say it? Sophie and I have nothing going on!

"Why do you never believe me? How many times do I have to repeat myself?

"After all these years together, do you have no trust in me at all?"

I looked at him coldly and said nothing.

He gritted his teeth.

"Fine. If you don't trust me, then we'll break up.

"Julia, don't regret it."

With that, he knocked over the fruit basket and slammed the door on his way out.

I looked at the oranges scattered across the floor and smiled bitterly.

He could not even remember that I was allergic to oranges. What trust was he talking about?

There was no place for me in his heart. Why should I keep torturing myself with affection he no longer deserved?

The pain in my arms reminded me that I could not let him and Sophie get away with breaking both my hands.

They had to pay.

I asked the nurse to help me dial a number.

Not long after, the board chair's assistant, Mr. Collins, pushed open the door.

After giving him a few instructions, I asked him to retrieve what I had left in my drawer.

Inside were the evidence of Sophie's design fraud and Marcus's cover-up.

Once those documents were made public, both of their careers would be over.

The executive seat Marcus had dreamed of would disappear, and he would be left with a bill large enough to crush him.

On the day the announcement was posted, I had just received approval for my resignation. Only the handover remained.

As soon as I entered the company, I heard several opportunists already congratulating Sophie.

"Congratulations, Sophie. I saw the competition entries. None of them were as good as yours. You're definitely winning this time."

"Exactly. You've really made the younger designers proud. Otherwise, who knows when any of us would ever have a chance?"

Sophie basked in the praise, flushed with triumph.

Then she glanced at me, pretending to be modest.

"My results aren't mine alone. If the director hadn't given up her slot, even someone with my ability would have been buried in the department."

The moment she saw me, she steered the conversation toward me.

With one sentence, she reignited the department's resentment, reminding everyone that I had taken every major competition and kept them from showing themselves to the board.

After Sophie's words, the department looked at me with disdain and resentment.

When they noticed my bandaged hands, someone sneered.

"Looks like karma finally opened its eyes and taught a lesson to the person who has been suppressing us all."

Laughter immediately rippled through the crowd.

A moment later, Sophie's phone chimed.

She checked it, then smiled brightly and waved at Marcus.

"Marcus, I just received news from the board. The regional president appointment list is out. Congratulations. You got what you wanted."

Marcus was instantly thrilled.

He thought he had been right. Even without my help, Sophie's board connections had secured the president seat for him.

He no longer needed the competition to strengthen his leverage.

Everyone rushed to congratulate him.

"Congratulations, Mr. Winters. Our department has two happy events today. We must celebrate properly."

Marcus glanced at me, then nodded.

"After work, go straight to the hotel. I'll book the place."

The office erupted in cheers.

Some of the fence-sitters began pledging loyalty on the spot.

"Mr. Winters, if you ever need anything from me, just say the word. I guarantee I'll handle it perfectly."

The rest quickly echoed him.

I laughed coldly.

"The official appointment hasn't been released yet. Celebrating this soon might turn into quite a show if the stone you throw lands on your own foot."

Before Marcus could speak, Sophie snapped back.

"You really can't stand seeing him do well, can you? You're just jealous.

"If you apologize to every colleague today, maybe I'll ask Marcus to let you join the celebration."

She lifted her chin, waiting for me to apologize.

I ignored her and returned to my desk to pack.

At that moment, my phone lit up with a message from Dean.

"Tonight's flight is booked."

I smiled and turned off the screen.

Seeing my indifference, Sophie grew embarrassed and angry.

"Julia, don't say I never gave you a chance. One day you'll regret this."

I did regret something.

I regretted not waking up sooner and exposing her true face before she became this arrogant.

Fortunately, it was not too late. The board chair's decision should arrive soon. She would not stay proud for long.

As her words faded, Mr. Collins approached with a group of people behind him.

The entire office turned to look.

Whispers rose at once.

"There he is. Mr. Collins must be here to announce Mr. Winters's appointment."

"Let's see what Julia can say after this."

Marcus's expression filled with expectation.

The next second, Mr. Collins frowned at him and spoke coldly in front of everyone.

"Marcus Winters violated company policy and encouraged another employee to commit competition fraud.

"By unanimous decision of the board, effective immediately, Marcus Winters is removed from all executive duties and terminated from the company."