A Car, A Secretary, A Lifetime of Regret

I let out a short mocking laugh. "A custom-made necklace for her? Seriously, who do you think she is? We must know our place in life, Landon."

I stepped closer, my voice cold. "The son-in-law of the Young family naturally belongs in elite circles, but money alone isn't enough to get you far up there, Mr. Hart."

Landon flew into a rage. "We have more important work to discuss now, Susanne. Ms. Colton has put in tremendous effort for this deal, so please get out of my office!"

He was actually shouting at me for that bimbo. I smiled coldly. "Fine. We'll see just how capable your secretary is."

Furious, Landon slammed the contract onto the desk and stormed out. Amelia flashed me a smug, triumphant smile and trotted after him in her heels.

Before the sound of her heels faded completely, I dialed a number. "Proceed as planned. Make sure Mr. Zelinsky gives them a proper welcome."

I poured myself a cup of coffee and sat by the floor-to-ceiling window. I had barely taken two sips when Landon's call came through. He was screaming so loudly I had to hold the phone away from my ear.

"You're a despicable snake, Susanne! Mr. Zelinsky publicly tore up the contract and called Amelia an escort who slept her way up! He even called me a weak man living off women, greedy for everything!

You did this, didn't you? I must've been blind to even think about marrying you!"

I set the cup down calmly. "You honestly think I can control how everyone runs their mouths? Please. If he weren't right, you wouldn't be so affected—"

"The deal's over, Susanne!" he yelled. "And Amelia ran off after being humiliated! Are you satisfied now?"

I smiled. "Satisfied? Oh, no. I'm just making sure everything is where it belongs."

Landon hung up, fuming.

I called HR and had every trace of Amelia removed from the company. At this point, I felt I had given Landon enough leeway and space to recover. As long as he behaved, we could continue.

But, as it turned out, he didn't even value the second chance I gave him.