The company's annual general meeting was held a week after Fiona started work.

Noris, Boris, and Yannick were already there when she arrived, and they flocked around her when they saw her.

Noris, who had always lacked patience, immediately demanded, "Mark's already told you—just leave him alone for two weeks, and he'll marry you. Why do you have to keep following him around even in the office?"

Boris was frowning at her too. "You were never involved with office work, but you keep screwing with him at every turn now. But we all know you just want his attention, or am I wrong?"

Fiona scowled, not even looking at them as she retorted, "I'm not here because of him. And I'm not going to marry—"

"Oh, just give up already," Noris snorted, cutting her short. "Do you think we don't know you? You're so crazy about Mark that you're literally losing your mind!"

Fiona simply shrugged, pushed Noris out of the way, and strode off, not bothered to explain that she had already chosen a new fiance.

However, that meant she didn't see them sharing a look behind her.

-

The annual general meeting proceeded as planned, but just as Fiona was about to give the closing speech in her father's stead, the screen suddenly turned black for a couple of seconds.

When it lit up again, the hall was buzzing even before Fiona realized what was happening.

When she finally turned toward the screen, she felt a rush of blood to her brain, speechless even as she shook with rage—the slideshow that should have been on the screen was replaced by racy photos of her!

Fiona's assistant rushed on stage and snapped at the backstage workers, "Turn it off!"

However, the screen stayed on, playing ninety-nine photos in front of everyone in the company on loop.

Her lips trembling, Fiona turned toward Mark, who calmly returned her gaze from below the stage, in the middle of the buzzing crowd.

She then remembered the last message he had sent in that chat group used solely to insult her and her father.

[If it really was her, I'll make her suffer!]

And this was how he did just that…

-

In the last life, when Fiona learned that Mark preferred delicate maidens, she tried to make herself one.

Whenever they went out, she would wear stilettos that left her soles blistered, after which she would level her adorable puppy eyes at Mark, asking him to carry her.

He would refuse but eventually sigh and pick her up since she was really in pain.

Still, as she kept using the trick, he caught on and would bring sandals with flat soles along whenever they went out.

Fiona therefore had no choice but to play her trump card—those racy photos of herself which she had saved in his phone, in an album titled [For Mark's eyes only].

And yet, he would exploit what she did out of maidenly naivete just to humiliate her.

Her ears ringing, her knuckles clenched around her chair as she picked it up and smashed it against the LED screen repeatedly.

Crash!

After smashing it repeatedly, she finally left a deep hole in the screen as it completely darkened.

However, it was no different from a gruesome hole punched into her flesh, so deeply that one could see bone.

-

Still, no one commented about what happened at the annual general meeting on social media, while Mark bizarrely showed up in front of Fiona the next day.

Passing her a rose, he said, "Don't worry. No employee will breathe a word about what happened."

"Breathe a word to who? My father?" Fiona snorted.

He had basically destroyed her, and he was telling her not to worry?

Moreover, most of the employees in this building were under Mark's payroll.

Her father was busy working on a project abroad, not knowing that Mark was almost taking full control over his own company!

Mark glowered, looking Fiona straight in the eye as he growled, "You hurt Sue first. She's… a sister to me, and the most important person in my life. If you want to marry me, you have to behave and respect everyone around me."

"But I don't want to marry you," Fiona calmly replied, but he had already turned to leave.

It was not as if he would take her seriously if he had heard her anyway.

Fiona had called the police, and every suspect including Sue was taken to the precinct to assist with the investigation.

While Fiona stayed in her office and waited for the police report, the door was opened violently.

She sneered as she watched Noris stride up to her desk fearlessly and throw a mediation agreement at her.

"Mark doesn't want to see you, so he sent me," he said with a snort, but he was left watching as Fiona laughed coolly despite the document.

He shoved it in front of her, staring at her from head to toe pointedly as he scoffed, "Do you know what kind of women men like us hate the most? Women who get clingy! So know your place and let Mark have his two weeks of privacy, or else…"

He suddenly sprang to his feet, rolling up his sleeves as he growled, "He won't even look at you twice after you get married! Don't say I didn't warn you!"

With that, he left, not before noticing the single rose on Fiona's desk and snorting in amusement.

Through it all, he was no different from a clown in Fiona's eyes.

She wasn't going to marry Mark, so she couldn't care less about Noris' opinion.

It went without saying that Noris would never believe that.

And he had been a sycophant since he was a child, worshiping Mark like he was a god since they were kids.

Mark didn't fear the Starr family, so he also mindlessly emulated that too, somehow forgetting that he and Boris would be dead if not for the Starr family's intervention!

Fiona glanced at the mediation agreement on her desk and clenched her knuckles.

She was not giving in!

-

Fiona was just hanging up when her assistant entered, sighing. "Did you hear, Ms. Starr? Some bigshot must be chasing after Mark's assistant—they sent a ton of roses, and there were so many that her desk couldn't hold everything."

Then, noticing the rose on Fiona's desk, she pointed, "Oh, the roses look like just one too! Do you like it, Ms. Starr? I could order a bouquet to liven up this place…"

Fiona swept the rose off her desk without hesitation and calmly said, "No. I hate roses."

Soon, it was lunch hour, but she kept working.

She graduated from a prestigious university with scores as good as Mark's and had only stayed at home to take care of him, only for him to treat her like an ignorant housewife.

It was true that she was ignorant about certain matters—like blindly falling for Mark—but that didn't mean she was incompetent.

She went out to the pantry for some coffee, only to find Sue standing at the doorway, and she didn't appear surprised to see her.

As Mark and his cronies were not around, Sue's usually tearful eyes were glaring sharply and jealously at Fiona as she sneered. "Ms. Starr… You have a good family and good looks, so you have any man you want—why do you insist on taking Mark from me?"

Seeing that she wasn't playing the delicate maiden, Fiona simply stayed silent.

Seeing that, Sue moved closer while she kept looking around. "I was raised at an orphanage, until Mark came after his parents died. He isn't just handsome… He's smart and sharp, and even though he didn't like to talk, I was the only one who befriended him."

Pausing, Sue's eyes flashed viciously as she bellowed, "But your father took him away from me! Then, when I finally managed to get him back, you took him away from me again! I'll never let that happen—you're just born lucky, loser! You have no right!"

As she finished, she suddenly snatched Fiona's coffee out of her hands and splashed it on her face.

As she screamed, Mark promptly came running, completely ignoring Fiona as he scooped Sue up in his arms. "What happened?!"

"My face! It hurts so much!"

He quickly took her to the washroom, frantically checking her face.

Meanwhile, Fiona was just caught stunned for a moment, but she soon calmed down and threw the cup that Sue touched into the trash can.

As she turned, she found Mark standing there, glaring darkly at her.

She met his glare without flinching and scoffed, "What, do you want revenge? Just so you know, if I wanted to hurt her, it wouldn't just be a tiny cup of coffee."

The day after, Mark moved out of Starr Manor and blocked Fiona's number.

Noris, Boris, and Yannick all followed suit, leaving the butler approaching Fiona in confusion when she returned. "Ms. Starr… should we tell Mr. Starr?"

Fiona twirled her champagne flute and snorted. "Nope. They'll all be gone eventually anyway—they've saved us the trouble by taking out their own rubbish."

Seeing that the butler remained uncertain, she smiled but said nothing. "Just pack up whatever personal effects they've left behind and send it to them… If they'd give you their address, that is."

The butler nodded, but he kept staring at Fiona, who looked like a completely different person now, clearly having more to say.

Eventually, he gave in just as he started to leave. "Alcohol is always bad for your health, Ms. Starr, and you've been drinking a lot."

Fiona stayed silent, only shedding tears after the butler gently closed her bedroom door.

She certainly knew that alcohol was bad, but she was hurting so much—for herself, and for her unborn child.

After Sue died, he had abused her sexually every single day as if to vent all his frustrations, not caring how much she was hurting and leaving as soon as he blew his load.

She had no idea where his resentment came from and kept bearing with it, bearing with the fiery pain to get out of bed and get painkillers.

When she got pregnant, she was filled with hope as she looked forward to giving birth, only for Mark to destroy everything for her.

She didn't die on that mountain exactly because he wanted her to survive, so that he could lock him in that basement with rats and bugs.

Eventually, the rats got too hungry and started eating her from her toes, and she was left in despair up until the moment she drew her last breath…

-

That night, she worked overtime again.

After washing up, she lay in bed, exhausted and not noticing that the manor was strangely quiet.

When she opened her eyes again, she was in the basement, and the almost familiar darkness was no different from a pair of hands strangling her.

Her eyes widened, and she shuddered as she curled up.

A dark figure then emerged from a corner—it was a homeless bum who stank from head to toe.

Seeing that she was awake, he shoved a pill down her throat with his dirt-covered fingers.

Fiona flailed helplessly, her tears gushing in fear.

She tried to puke it out, only for the bum to slap her viciously across the face. "Don't you dare! It's the good shit—you'll feel so good that you could die!"

He started groping her all over, and Fiona couldn't fight back as she was quickly turning limp.

Soon, he left her toplesss, his bloodshot eyes wide with crazed excitement.

Then, he smiled greedily as he looked at her crotch and started reaching there…

Even as Fiona despaired, someone yelled her name, and she felt herself lifted to the air.

Mark had come running, his forehead covered in sweat.

His eyes were red when he saw what had happened, and he started punching the bum viciously in the face and kept doing it until the bum was almost dead and coughing blood.

Unable to quell his rage that threatened to burn him to ashes, he got up, not bothering to look at the bum again as he took off his jacket and covered Fiona.

He then scooped her up in his arms, his warmth easing the coldness she felt.

She pressed herself against his chest before she knew it, her tears unstoppable and quickly leaving his shirt wet.

Her sobs seemed to echo in Mark's ears, leaving him feeling like he was punched in the gut…

-

Later, when Fiona jerked awake, she felt restlessly hot all over and couldn't help pressing her thighs together.

She heard voices outside and fought against her discomfort to get out of bed.

She soon heard Noris snapping, "What's your problem, Mark?! We agreed to get revenge for Sue's sake! I paid that bum so much, only for you to save that bitch?!"

Those words spoken behind a wall struck Fiona like a club to the head!