Chapter 2

I sat down and took my time finishing what was left on my plate.

"Ethan, are you pissed? Are you blaming me? I told you, Julian suddenly felt sick last night. I couldn't just walk away…"

Seeing that I remained silent, Victoria’s tone turned cold.

"Ethan! I’ve been exhausted lately, and I don’t have time for your childish tantrums. Can you grow up for once? Stop being jealous of a dying man! You—"

"I’m not angry."

My voice was flat, devoid of emotion. Victoria gave me a suspicious look.

Seeing that my expression really didn't change, her tone softened up.

She came over, sat beside me, and intimately linked her arm through mine. "Ethan, don't be mad anymore… I got a surprise for you!"

With that, she pulled me toward the door, covering my eyes with her hand.

I frowned, having no idea what game she was playing this time.

"Ta-da! I bought you a car!"

Looking at the obvious scuffs and wear on the car, I let out a dry scoff.

"Is the company broke? You can only afford used cars now?"

"Ethan! Do you have to sound so damn rude? I bought you a car out of the goodness of my heart, and this is the attitude I get?"

I didn't react to her baseless accusation.

"Ethan, it’s not like making money is easy for me, okay? How do you think the company got to where it is today? You barely lifted a finger, so don't you dare throw snide remarks!"

I stared at her in disbelief. "Victoria, what do you mean I barely lifted a finger?"

When the company was first founded, I was the one drinking myself sick at client dinners every single night to secure our first contracts.

Even now, whenever there were difficult clients to handle, I was the one who dealt with them. I lost count of how many times I landed in the emergency room with alcohol poisoning just for our business.

Even after all that, I willingly stepped aside and handed the CEO position to her.

And now, she brushed it all off, claiming I had done nothing.

Guilt flickered across Victoria’s face, and she avoided my eyes. "Ethan… you…"

Before she could finish, her phone rang.

"Okay, I’m on my way, Julian. Don’t panic…"

In an instant, she transformed into a completely different person, her face melting into pure tenderness.

After hanging up, she turned to me with an impatient frown. "Ethan, you really need to reflect on your attitude lately. When you figure out what you did wrong, we’ll talk."

Watching her walk away without a single backward glance, I picked up my phone and sent a single word to someone: "Yes."

In the end, I didn’t drive the car Victoria gave me.

Without even checking, I already knew who the previous owner was.

I took the bus to the office, only to find a crowd gathered downstairs.

I glanced over curiously and saw a brand-new, limited-edition McLaren parked right out front.

Upstairs, people in the office were gossiping about the car too.

Someone tapped my shoulder. "Hey Ethan, do you know whose car that is?"

I shook my head.

"No way, aren't you close with Ms. Lin? That car—she bought it for that guy named… Ju… Julian?"

"Julian," I said quietly.

Even though I had already braced myself, my heart still stung for a second.

The woman who had just yelled at me yesterday about how hard it was to make money had turned around today and dropped a fortune on a limited-edition supercar for another man.

"Yes, that’s the one! She’s so generous! Is Julian her boyfriend or something?"

Back then, Victoria insisted that workplace romance looked unprofessional, so she refused to go public with our relationship.

Yet now, she didn’t hide her affection for Julian in the slightest.

"Maybe. I’m not sure," I said, swallowing the bitterness in my throat as I picked up my mug to get away.