Chapter 2

Trent glanced in my direction, a smug smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.

"Not much," he said nonchalantly. "Just a few hundred thousand."

"Damn—"

A collective gasp rippled through the office.

A few hundred grand was a life-changing fortune for regular workers like us.

I noticed, however, that from the second Trent walked in, his eyes kept darting back to me.

He was watching me like a scientist observing a lab rat.

He was waiting to see if I had realized my bank card had been drained dry.

I swallowed the burning rage in my chest and bit back the accusations on the tip of my tongue.

Now was not the time to alert him.

I stood up, putting on an easy, almost envious smile.

"Trent, congratulations! You've got to share some of that good luck with me."

Seeing me act completely normal, surprise flickered across his eyes, followed by a quiet sigh of relief.

He clearly thought I was still in the dark about my missing savings.

As lunchtime approached, Leo, who sat beside me, leaned in.

"Luke, didn't you say you'd go look at apartments once you had enough for the down payment? When are you going? I'll tag along."

At the mention of the apartment, my hands clenched so hard my fingernails dug into my palms.

I loosened my grip quickly, keeping my face smooth and unbothered.

"No rush," I replied.

"I lost my ID a few days ago, and replacing it takes time. Besides, real estate prices are dipping right now. Better to wait and see."

The moment I finished speaking, I felt another gaze lock onto me.

It was Trent.

He was staring at me again, an unmistakable gleam of triumph in his eyes.

Trent had only joined our firm two months ago as an intern. He was five-foot-seven, chubby, plain-looking, and dead last in sales performance.

In our cutthroat department, where looks and revenue ruled, he should have stayed at the very bottom of the food chain.

Yet in my past life, this exact loser used my $500,000 to get full-body liposuction and extensive plastic surgery.

He reinvented himself into a glamorous, wealthy bachelor.

Then, he used my own money to buy off our colleagues, teamed up with a few female coworkers, and had me dragged into an asylum under the excuse that I had lost my mind.

Remembering the two years of hell I spent in that asylum, I took a deep, steadying breath.

At noon, Trent dragged everyone to The Grand Regency, boldly telling us we could order anything.

I didn't hold back. I flipped the menu open and pointed directly to the most expensive pages.

"King crab. The biggest one you have."

"Australian lobster sashimi."

"Pan-seared foie gras."

"And bring me an order of premium caviar."

With every dish I ordered, the expressions around the table grew more shocked.

Leo tugged at my sleeve, whispering, "Luke, isn't this... a bit too extravagant?"

I smiled at him without a word.

Spending my own damn money could never be considered extravagant.

Trent’s cheek twitched violently, but with everyone watching, he had to force a tight smile.

"It's fine! Luke is our top earner. He works harder than anyone, so he deserves a feast."

He grinned through gritted teeth.

"Eat up, so you can keep working hard and closing deals for our team!"

Before I could answer, a coworker chimed in:

"Oh, Trent, you weren't here this morning so you don't know—Luke told Sarah that he's taking a break. No new clients for the next month."

The table instantly fell silent.

I casually dabbed my lips with a napkin and looked up at Trent.

The smile on his face froze, cracking piece by piece.

"What did you say?"

He glared at me, his voice pitching high and sharp:

"Luke, why are you stopping?"

"What do you mean you're not taking clients?"