"Tch... annoying," Olivia muttered softly. "What? Surprised? You just found out I'm Ethan's girlfriend?"
She looked perfectly composed, yet her eyes cut into Missy like a blade.
"Missy," Ethan said, his tone low and controlled, "calm down and handle your problem properly. Don't make a scene and drag us into it. Face your mistake responsibly."
He called her Missy the way he always had.
But the warmth was gone. His gaze was different.
No softness. No affection. Just distance.
There was no more gentle, loving look like he had given her over the past year. No more sweet and teasing voice like when he had asked her to be his girlfriend shortly after she joined the team.
Her chest tightened painfully. "Ethan...?" she whispered. "You're... you're joking, right?"
Olivia let out a short laugh. "You really didn't know," she said almost pitying. "Ethan has been my boyfriend from the start. Everyone here knows that."
She gave Missy a slow once-over. "He was only nice to you because he's your senior. Your mentor. That's all. Did you really think you were special?
Missy didn't look at Olivia.
Her eyes stayed on Ethan, pleading, searching for any sign that this was a misunderstanding. That he would smile apologetically and say it was all a mistake.
But he looked away.
Just like that.
Something inside her finally shattered.
"So… I meant nothing?" she asked, her voice hollow. "All those words... those dinners... the way you looked at me... that was nothing?"
Olivia laughed again, sharper this time. "Oh, you poor thing. Did you think he would be interested in you just because he said a few sweet words, and you built a whole fantasy? Well, that's not his fault. My man is really that attractive, isn't he?" She deliberately teased curtly.
Missy bit the inside of her cheek so hard she tasted blood. Her heart pounded violently, each beat painful against her ribs. She felt hard to breathe.
It was clear now.
She wasn't just being blamed. She has been used. Yes, she was the foolish scapegoat here. Everyone had made a fool of her.
"So that's it..." she whispered, shaking her head with a broken laugh. "You all just used me? You planned all of this."
"Enough," Richard snapped. "We still have a lot of work to do. Stop this drama."
Chairs scraped. People began to stand.
That was when Missy slowly straightened.
Her tears were still wet on her cheeks, but something in her eyes had changed. The trembling was still there—but beneath it, something harder had begun to form.
"You're just going to walk away?" she said quietly. "You're think I'll stay silent?"
They paused.
She turned, looking at them one by one. They froze and turned back to look at Missy.
"Manager Richard—you gave the orders. Supervisor Thomas—you were the one who chose the buyer. Ethan—you helped me open that account." Her gaze shifted, sharp despite the tears. "And Olivia... you 'checked typos', right? Oh, give me a break." Missy said with a sarcastically.
A humorless smile touched her lips.
"Marcus, you reviewed the numbers. And oh, Emily, you were the one arranged the meetings."
All the senior team members Missy mentioned immediately stiffened. The color drained from several faces.
Richard's eyes widened. "What are you implying?"
Missy picked up her folder, her movements suddenly calm. "Oh, you know exactly what I mean, Richard," she said meaningfully before walking past them and leaving the room.
She walked straight to the finance division room. Her steps steady even though her legs still felt weak. She could feel their eyes on her back, heavy and watchful, but no one dared stop her.
Not yet.
She reached her desk, hands trembling as she grabbed her bag. Her vision blurred again, but she forced herself to breathe slowly. In. Out. She would not break her. Not in front of them.
"Wait!"
Ethan shouted, his voice echoed trough the room. Followed by the others into the room. When he saw Missy about to leave, fingers clamped around around her arm.
She turned.
Ethan.
His grip was tight, his jaw tense. The others stood behind him watching like silent spectators.
"Don't do anything reckless, Missy!" he said through clenched teeth. "Are you trying to threaten us? Stop acting foolish," he growled.
"Or what?" Missy challenged, staring at Ethan.
He faltered for a second.
A faint, bitter smile curved her lips. "You think this is a threat? That's funny. Do you feel threatened?"
Ethan clenched his jaw and narrowed his eyes. "You sound like you're trying to drag us into your mess."
"My mess?" Missy laughed bitterly. "Why are you so afraid if you're innocent? Just tell me the truth. Are you involved? Do you know about all this?"
Ethan inhaled slowly, forcing calm into his voice. "None of us know anything about that," he said, which sounded completely unreasonable to Missy.
The lie was so smooth it made her stomach twist.
Missy pulled her arm away from Ethan's grip.
"You want me to take responsibility for something I didn't do? Fine, we'll see how this ends."
Missy hurried toward the exit. But after a few steps, she stopped. Slowly, she slipped the ring off her finger. The she turned back.
Her eyes met Ethan's.
"Give this to your girlfriend!" she snapped, her voice breaking despite her effort to stay cold.
She threw the ring at him. It hit his chest and fell onto the floor with a small metallic sound that echoed louder than it should have.
"Damn it!" Ethan cursed under his breath.
Missy didn't look back again.
The parking basement was nearly empty.
The sound of her footsteps echoed as she walked to her car. The moment she got inside and shut the door, the silence swallowed her whole.
And then she broke.
Her forehead dropped against the steering wheel as a loudly sob burst out of her chest. All the humiliation, betrayal, and shock she had forced down came rushing out at once.
Her shoulders shook. Her hands curled against the wheel as if she were trying to hold herself together physically.
It hurt.
Her chest. Her throat. Even breathing hurt.
After a while, the sob softened into trembling breaths. Her head felt dizzy and her face felt hot. She wiped her face with a tissue and leaned back, trying to steady her breathing. Staring blankly ahead.
That was when she noticed it.
A black sedan parked a short distance in front of hers.
The engine was on.
She straightened slightly. Someone was clearly inside.
Before she could think further, the car's headlights flashed once.
Missy flinched.
She waited.
Nothing.
Then... headlights flashed again.
Twice.
Her finger slowly tightened around the steering wheel.
"What?" she murmured.
A bad feeling crawled up her spine. She hurriedly pulled the seatbelt across her chest, her movement suddenly clumsy.
Then—
The headlights flashed again.
Three times.
Missy jumped, her heart slammed violently against her rib.
For a moment, she forgot her sadness, replaced by uneasiness. Replaced by something colder.
Fear.
She didn't wait any longer.
Her car engine roared to life as she backed out of the parking spot, her hands slightly shaking on the wheel. She didn't look at the black car again as she drove toward the exit. The image of those blinking headlights send a cold, lingering creep down her spine.
Whatever nightmare had started in that meeting room....
It clearly wasn't over yet.
***