Chapter 3 At Your Mercy

Freaking out in disgust, I leaned closer to the door, but just as I was trying to gather myself, the door swung open wide, and I fell hard to the floor.

In embarrassment, I quickly raised my head, only to see Emma sitting on Nathaniel's lap. Both of them froze, their eyes locked on mine. After a brief, tense moment, Emma jumped off his lap in panic.

Both of their faces flushed with embarrassment, and Nathaniel hurriedly stood up from his chair. Luckily, they seemed more embarrassed than I was.

I struggled to my feet, my voice trembling as I stammered, "Um... I... I am sorry."

Suddenly, a voice inside me screamed in frustration. What the hell, Evelyn? Why are you apologizing? It's them who are betraying you! They should be the ones apologizing, not you!

"Um, yes... uh..." I cleared my throat, trying to steady myself.

"Evelyn..." Nathaniel marched toward me without any shame, as if nothing had happened. Standing beside me, he tried to play it off, saying, "Emma and I were just discussing the upcoming event with..."

I glanced at him, my eyes wide. "Emma?"

"Oh! I mean ma'am..." He quickly looked away, avoiding my gaze.

"Yeah, and I was about to call you. You know the details better than we do," Emma added, trying to mask her unease.

I was fed up with their lies. What amazed me most was that they never seemed to tire of telling one after another.

"Event?" I said, my voice cold. "But Nathaniel was the one who took all the details from my desk before I even had a chance to glance at the company's name, so I could do my research and prepare."

What are you waiting for, Evelyn? Just throw that resignation letter in her face and walk away! The voice in my head urged me on.

I glanced down and noticed my hands were empty.

Where is the letter?

"Are you alright?" Emma asked, her voice laced with feigned concern.

I didn't answer, just kept searching the floor frantically.

Ah, there it is!

My heart raced in relief as I spotted the letter lying near the door. I picked it up and blew off the dust, quickly unfolding it. Luckily, it was still in good condition.

I moved toward Emma's desk, trying to calm my nerves. Nathaniel was still distracted, rummaging through some files and muttering to himself.

I placed the letter carefully on top of the file he was looking through and looked at Emma. "Ma'am, it's for you..."

"What's this?" she asked, clearly startled as she picked up the letter.

As she started to unfold it, I calmly added, "It's my resignation letter, ma'am..."

"What?" they both gasped in unison, their faces blank with shock. Seeing their stunned expressions was almost too satisfying.

"I'm leaving this company."

"But why?" Emma asked, glancing away as though she already knew the answer but still wanted to hear it from me.

"You're asking me why?" I said, my voice steady but biting. "You should be asking yourself that."

Before I could say more, Nathaniel interrupted, his voice filled with false concern. "How can you just abandon our company like this, Evelyn? Why are you being so irresponsible?"

I folded my arms across my chest, standing tall. "First of all, Nathaniel, this is not my company. Second, I know how responsible or irresponsible I am, and I don't need you to lecture me. Third, I have the full right to leave whenever I want."

Emma shook her head, a hint of panic in her eyes. "No... I'm not approving this. You're not leaving until we're done with the upcoming event. It's just around the corner, Evelyn, you can't do this."

I snickered, covering my mouth. "Oh, I see. You want me to wait until you kick me out of this company. No thanks."

Their faces, which had just returned to normal, turned a deep shade of red once more. They exchanged uncomfortable glances, and I couldn't help but enjoy their discomfort.

"You... heard..." Emma stammered, her voice wavering.

"Yeah, every word. And not just today," I shot Nathaniel a pointed glare. "I've known what's been going on behind my back for days now."

Nathaniel quickly closed the distance between us, grabbing my arms as he tried to calm me down. "It's not what you think, Evelyn. You're just overreacting. It's all a misunderstanding."

I shoved his hand away, no longer caring for his empty words. "Stop it, Nathaniel. I've had enough. I'm done buying your lies."

"Stop being unreasonable," he said, grabbing my wrist and trying to pull me toward the door. "Let's go outside and talk."

"Why outside?" I yanked my hand free. "Oh, are you worried Emma might hear your little 'misunderstandings' about me? Come on, you're so obsessed with her, aren't you? Why can't you just admit it?"

"Evelyn, stop talking nonsense," he said, his eyes wide, his expression a mix of anger and frustration.

I stepped closer to him, my voice low and cutting. "Nonsense? Really? You're kissing your boss behind your girlfriend's back and still promising me you'll stay loyal? Tell me, Nathaniel, what should I call that if not nonsense?"

"I..." He gulped, clearly unable to look me in the eye.

"Tell me, Nathaniel, what did I lack? Was it because she's rich and has more experience with men than I do?"

Suddenly, a sharp slap landed across my cheek.

"Stop it!" Nathaniel yelled, his face twisted in rage. "You don't have the right to say such things about her."

I held my cheek, the sting of the slap burning, but I didn't flinch. "Why not? Are you incapable of hearing the truth? Don't you know she's had three boyfriends at the same time in the past? Doesn't it make you wonder if she's seeing someone else while she's with you? Do you really think betraying me will lead to true love in your life? Don't forget, Nathaniel, what goes around comes around."

"Stop it!" he shouted, raising his hand again, ready to strike.

This time, I grabbed his wrist before it could land, my grip firm.

I shoved his hand away and slapped him across the face, my voice steady as I said, "I am not your slave to take all your violence."

With one last shove, I turned to leave, but Nathaniel charged at me, his fury palpable. I prepared myself to face him. Even though I knew he was stronger than me, I wasn't going to back down.