Chapter 1

1608words2026-02-09 09:46

Cassidy's POV
In that moment, all the color drained from my face. My eyes burned red as words failed me.
On the other end of the line, the amusement in the man's voice became unmistakable. He sounded like he was teasing his pet as he said, "Did you think we were a couple who were madly in love or something?"

That mocking tone pushed me over the edge. I hung up without another word.
The room fell back into a deathly silence, the stillness so stifling I could hardly breathe. Then, my phone lit up again.
Zane Bender sent me a message. It was the location of a hotel.
I stared blankly at the address for a long time, feeling as if a piece of my heart had been ripped out.
That night, I didn't get a wink of sleep. Every time I closed my eyes, Zane's degrading remarks echoed in my mind.
I'd met him three years ago. He was the CEO of Cosmo Group, while I had been just an intern back then.

To be honest, it never even crossed my mind that I'd get into Cosmo Group, as it was one of the top companies in the industry.
Everyone there graduated from elite universities. With my average educational background, I'd practically exhausted myself just to secure that one and only job offer from the company.
At the time, I'd thought I was the luckiest person in the world, never imagining that something even better would come after I entered the company.
The man every woman in the company dreamed about asked me out to lunch, right in front of everyone.

After that, we left work together, went on dates, and spent one passionate night after another tangled in bed.
By day, he was the picture of a refined boss. By night, he would be rough and unrestrained, pinning me down in bed and doing whatever he desired with reckless abandon.
At the most intense moment of each night, he would lean close to my ear and whisper that he loved me over and over again. Once we were done, he'd gently clean me up before kissing the marks he'd left behind.
I had always thought these were the kind of things only truly intimate couples did, but now Zane was telling me I was nothing more than a bedwarmer?
A bitter laugh escaped my lips. I gave my thigh a hard pinch, the sting making it painfully clear this wasn't a dream.
I sat on the edge of the bed for a long time that night. It wasn't until the first ray of sunlight touched me and my alarm went off that I snapped back to reality and walked into the bathroom like a zombie.
When I came out, I realized Zane had come in at some point and was on the couch.
He looked at me, who was wrapped in a towel, raised an eyebrow, and asked calmly, "Why didn't you come last night?"
I froze, suddenly finding this whole thing absurd. He came all the way here this early in the morning just to question me?
Before I could answer, he stood up, took a USB drive out of his briefcase, and set it on the table. "But it's fine that you didn't come. I tried it without protection last night, and honestly, it felt way better.
"We went at it so many times that Lily was so exhausted that she could barely get out of bed today. You should help her take care of these files."
For a second, I couldn't believe what I was hearing.
He was casually talking about sleeping with another woman to me, and was asking me to help his new lover with her work?
My eyes misted over. Staring at the man I'd loved for three years, I asked, "Zane, have you really fallen for her?"
He paused, then laughed, looking utterly nonchalant. "Love? I'm not a fan of words that are vague and abstract. Still, Lily is undeniably alluring."
He propped his chin on his hand, looking like he was reminiscing. "She has a great figure, a sweet voice, and those light brown curls… When we do it, she teases my chest like a little kitten. Also—"
"That's enough!" I interrupted, unable to take it anymore.
I grabbed the USB drive and shoved Zane toward the door. "Mr. Bender, I'm already aware of my assignments, so you can leave now."
Hearing the cold way I addressed him, Zane froze for a brief moment. Instead of getting angry, he grabbed my wrist and asked with a slight smile, "Cassidy Hartman, are you upset?"
Pushing hard against his chest, I stiffly denied it, only to be pinned against the wall the next second.
His finger brushed against my lips, then traced the corner of my eye. When he felt my tears, he let out a soft chuckle.
"Are you still going to deny it? You're clearly so upset that you're already tearing up," he murmured. "Cassidy, you look like I just abandoned you or something. I like seeing you smile more than seeing you looking hurt."
He lifted my chin with his eyes locked on my lips. He then leaned closer.
I closed my eyes without thinking, but the kiss I expected never came. Instead, he spoke in a cold voice beside my ear. "Behave yourself. That way, I'll still keep you around. But pull something like last night again, and neither Cosmo Group nor I will need you anymore."
There wasn't a single playful note in his tone. That was how I knew he meant it.
After saying that, he walked out. Stopping at the door, he added, "Oh, and I won't be picking you up for work anymore. Lily lives far from the office."
The moment the door clicked shut, I slid down the wall and collapsed on the floor, burying my face in my hands as I sobbed uncontrollably.
I'd thought Zane had feelings for me, but it turned out that I was just someone he could discard at any time. So the past three years of love and shared time meant nothing?
I looked down at the USB drive in my palm, feeling as if I'd just been slapped hard across the face. After what felt like a long time of crying, I finally pulled myself together and changed into my work clothes.
But when I reached the door, I stopped in my tracks. I realized I didn't even know how to take public transport to work because Zane had been picking me up every single day ever since I joined Cosmo Group.
In a daze, I flagged down a cab. The moment I got out in front of the building, it started pouring.
With a hand over my head, I ran into the rain, only to unexpectedly see Zane standing across from me. He was holding an umbrella and walking my way.
At that moment, a wave of conflicting emotions surged through me, and I found myself calling out, "Zane…"
Zane smiled, but not at me. He walked right past me before stopping in front of another woman, holding the umbrella over her head.
He wrapped an arm around Lily Hubbard, his tone scolding but affectionate. "I told you to take the day off. Why did you still come?"
She shyly tapped his chest. "Because I wanted to see you, Mr. Bender."
Watching them act so intimately, I felt like my moment of hope just now was a complete joke. Lowering my arm, I slowly walked toward the building, letting the rain soak me completely.
Zane shot me a hesitant glance but didn't say anything.
As soon as I entered the office, my coworkers stared at me in shock, drenched as I was. Ignoring them, I silently sat down at my desk.
After a long while, I looked up and tapped the coworker next to me. "Kayla, didn't you say you could recommend people to Vertex Group before?"
She nodded. "Yeah, but only for their overseas branch. Their management is pretty strict, so most people don't make it in. Why?"
"I want to go."
Hearing that, Kayla Hutchins jumped to her feet, exclaiming, "Cassidy, are you serious? You want to leave even though Mr. Bender treats you so well?"
Putting a finger in front of my lips, I quickly shushed her. "My decision to resign has nothing to do with him. It's for my career. Please help me out with this, Kayla."
Kayla wanted to ask more questions, but seeing that I didn't want to talk about it, she eventually agreed.
She contacted Vertex Group's Brudivia branch. After hanging up, she wrote down an email address for me. "I'd already made the arrangements. Contact them at this email address, and you can handle things from there."
As I took the piece of paper from her, I finally felt a sense of relief. What I'd said earlier wasn't entirely a lie.
Although Zane had indeed broken my heart, that wasn't the only reason I wanted to leave. In my three years at Cosmo Group, I was never truly happy.
Zane often said he felt bad for me, so a lot of my work was just going through the motions. Rather than an employee, I was more like a pet that accompanied him to work.
A pet? That word and the thought of Zane's recent cold attitude made my chest tighten.
Since my owner no longer wanted me, I wasn't going to force myself to stay. I decided that after my 25th birthday, it would be time for me to go and reclaim my freedom.