Chapter 2

“Mr. Reed, I hope you can manage your lover.”

Noah Hayes spoke lightly, and there was still contempt for me in his eyes.

When I met his gaze, I felt humiliated to the extreme.

“His pursuit has already caused great inconvenience to my work and life, and I have clearly rejected him so many times, but he still keeps sending flowers, asking me to dinner, and even posting daily updates that can easily cause misunderstandings.”

He frowned, looking very troubled.

The hand I had braced on the entryway cabinet slowly tightened until my fingertips turned pale and my fingers nearly cramped.

Listening to him speak, I felt my heart being pierced with one bloody hole after another.

Flowers—how long had it been since Ethan Blake last sent me flowers?

How long had it been since he last ate with me at the same table?

Those cold dishes, reheated and cooled again and again—I could no longer remember how many there had been.

I was too stupid, and I only realized something was wrong when Noah Hayes came knocking on my door.

It was not that he was too busy.

It was that he never gave his time to me.

Noah Hayes paused for a moment, but he did not give me a chance to speak.

“If Mr. Blake uses work as an excuse to do this kind of thing again, I will report him for workplace harassment.” He let out a cold sneer. “I can do without this job, but Mr. Blake and his company may not be able to withstand a scandal like that, right?”

Ethan Blake’s second spring only felt good to him.

With a hoarse voice, I dug out my bleeding heart and lungs, and all I could pull out were the four words, “I’ll pass it on.”

Even forcing myself to hold up a polite smile took all my strength, and I was so disgusted that I could barely stand it.

Simon Reed, oh Simon Reed, this relationship of yours is such a failure.

Not long after Noah Hayes left, Ethan Blake came back.

“Simon!” He rushed to find me as soon as he entered. “Listen to me explain.”