Goodbye, Lover

A month ago, we closed the deal and Lockwood Corporation invested 250 million dollars.

I thought everything was on track, but I didn’t expect Gregory to suddenly show up for an inspection. What shocked me even more was seeing Jenna with him.

Apparently, she was now Gregory’s secretary. As the lead on this project, I had to stay professional, so I kept my cool when I saw her.

Gregory was impressed with the progress we had made, which was a relief. During lunch, I went to the pantry to grab some water and of course, Jenna followed me in.

As soon as she saw we were alone, she smirked and said, "Why did you hang up the other day? Was it too much for you to handle?" Her voice was dripping with fake sweetness, laced with smugness.

I didn’t even flinch. "I have good taste," I said, turning to leave. "Cheap entertainment has never been my thing."

Jenna’s smirk disappeared and she stepped in front of the door, blocking me.

She crossed her arms and tilted her head. "I heard Charles dumped you," she said, her tone sharp. "And that baby of yours? Just a bastard. What’s your plan now?"

"Move," I said coldly, refusing to play her game.

But before I could push past her, she grabbed me and in one swift motion, dumped a cup of boiling water on herself.

She screamed so loud it made my heart jump. "Why would you do this to me?!" she cried, clutching her arm.

The commotion brought people running. Within seconds, the pantry was packed with coworkers, all staring at us.

Jenna, with tears streaming down her face, put on the performance of her life.

"Ms. Harrison," she whimpered, "I swear nothing’s going on between Charles and me. But if you’re mad, I understand. You can pour another glass on me if it will help you feel better."

I stood there, stunned, watching her crocodile tears and Oscar-worthy act. The way she flipped the narrative so quickly, no ordinary person could pull that off.

"Ms. Harrison, is there an issue with my staff?" Gregory’s voice cut through the room as he stepped in, positioning himself firmly on Jenna’s side.

My boss turned to me, clearly panicked. "Sydney, care to explain what's going on?" His tone carried more fear than anger, he was terrified the deal would fall apart.

Clutching my stomach, I kept my voice steady. "Sir, Mr. Lockwood, there are cameras in the room. Let's check the footage and see exactly what happened."

My boss looked relieved, nodding quickly. Gregory raised an eyebrow but didn’t object.

Jenna, however, froze. "That’s not necessary! Really, I don’t mind being misunderstood, it’s no big deal. Let’s not waste time on this." Her voice was shaking and her fake smile couldn’t hide the panic in her eyes.

But nobody listened to her. Everyone followed Gregory’s lead, heading toward the surveillance room.

Jenna trailed behind, pulling out her phone. I caught a glimpse of her typing furiously and moments later, she sent a photo of her burned arm to Charles. [I ran into Sydney at work. She got angry and... well, maybe I deserved it.]

In the surveillance room, the footage played in silence. Everyone watched as Jenna pulled her stunt—the fake accident, the screaming and the pitiful act that followed.

Gregory’s expression grew darker with every second. When the video ended, he didn’t even look at Jenna. "You don’t need to come to work tomorrow," he said, his voice ice-cold.

Jenna’s face turned pale.

Gregory straightened, turning to my boss. "As for our partnership, I’ve decided to establish a new subsidiary. Ms. Harrison will be in charge moving forward."

The room went dead silent, the weight of his words sinking in.