No Second Chance: Farewell, Mr. Heartbreaker

Inside the presidential suite.

Two breaths intertwined, reaching a peak, and finally ending with two sighs of ultimate satisfaction.

Katherine lay with her eyes closed, her face mostly buried in the soft pillow.

Her breathing hadn't yet steadied when the large hand resting below her collarbone withdrew, brushing aside her hair.

Her slender neck was exposed to the air, and the man's warm, moist kisses landed, causing her body to tremble slightly.

The room's atmosphere quickly heated up again.

Suddenly, the phone on the bedside table vibrated with a buzzing sound.

The man paused, extending his long arm to grab the phone.

Katherine opened her eyes, still veiled with mist, unable to see clearly who was calling Vincent before the weight on her body suddenly lifted.

Vincent took the phone and headed towards the bathroom.

As the bathroom door closed, a gentle voice calling "Vincent" clearly reached Katherine's ears.

Instantly, the desire in Katherine's eyes vanished completely, replaced by the image of colleagues whispering, discussing rumors that "Mr. Murphy is getting engaged."

Her heart felt heavy and constricted, making each beat laborious.

She had been Vincent's secretary for five years and his secret lover for three.

Vincent rarely avoided her when taking calls.

She had never seen him halt their intimacy for an unanswered call.

Now, there was an exception.

It was clear that the girl on the phone held a special place in Vincent's heart.

And their absurd relationship...

The sound of running water came from the bathroom.

Katherine's eyes dimmed as she silently buried her unusual feelings.

She could be an unnamed mistress, but she would never destroy someone else's marriage or become the homewrecker she despised.

When Vincent emerged from the bathroom, he was wearing a bathrobe, water droplets still clinging to his hair.

Katherine, seated on the sofa, was already dressed, checking Vincent's upcoming schedule on her laptop.

Her hair cascaded over her shoulders, her collar slightly open, revealing a neck still tinged with pink and the suggestive marks partially hidden by her shirt collar.

Vincent's gaze lingered on those marks, his Adam's apple moving, as the desire he had just suppressed began to rise again.

"Mr. Murphy, you have a dinner meeting with the partners at eight tonight," Katherine's cool voice pulled Vincent's thoughts back.

The emotionless schedule announcement made it seem as if they were merely in a superior-subordinate relationship.

Vincent detested Katherine's calm and rational demeanor, her ability to separate work from personal feelings so clearly after leaving the bed.

His brows furrowed, his slightly hoarse voice tinged with inexplicable irritation and coldness," Arrange a driver to take me back to Sacford."

Katherine looked up, somewhat surprised," Now?"

"Yes."

Katherine opened her mouth, impulsively wanting to ask if it was because of the girl on the phone.

But as the words reached her lips, she realized she had no standing to ask such a question.

In Vincent's eyes, she was merely a bed partner who could be dismissed with money.

Lost in thought, the man had already approached her.

She quickly lowered her gaze, returning her focus to the computer screen," Mr. Murphy, this collaboration is very important for the company."

As soon as she finished speaking, her hair was grabbed, forcing her to look up.

Simultaneously, her knees were rudely pushed apart by the man's leg.

A dominating presence enveloped Katherine.

She felt both ashamed and angry, unable to understand why Vincent was treating her this way.

In the past, Vincent had been tender and patient with her.

But starting about six months ago, Vincent had become moody and erratic, often humiliating her in various ways.

A few water droplets fell from the man's hair onto her slender neck, trickling into the subtle, hidden contours.

Katherine shivered from the cold, instinctively tightening her trembling legs.

This reaction only fueled Vincent's fire.

Though he intended to punish her verbally, he couldn't resist pulling her up and forcefully embracing her.

Katherine's arm hurt from being pulled, but her attention quickly shifted to Vincent's deep kiss.

In matters of intimacy, she and Vincent were very compatible.

She knew Vincent's preferences, and Vincent equally knew her sensitive spots.

The man sucked and nibbled on her neck, provoking her to tilt her head, seeking more.

At that moment, the man abruptly pushed her away.

Katherine slumped onto the plush sofa, her gaze meeting the man's slightly mocking eyes.

"This collaboration is your responsibility," he said, pausing before adding," If you screw this up, you're done here!"

With that, Vincent turned away, shedding his bathrobe and getting dressed.

He didn't glance at Katherine again until he left the presidential suite.

At eight in the evening, Katherine, accompanied by another male assistant, attended the banquet as planned.

"Miss Gill, since Mr. Murphy isn't here, shouldn't someone drink on his behalf?"

Before she could sit down, a glass of wine was placed in front of Katherine.

The person across from her had his legs crossed, his intention to make things difficult almost written on his face.

Vincent had missed the appointment first, and to secure the collaboration, Katherine had no choice but to pick up the glass.

The entire glass of strong liquor slid down her throat into her stomach.

"Hahaha, Miss Gill can really hold her liquor!" the man praised, standing up to pour a second glass and handing it to Katherine.

"I've heard that Mr. Murphy's assistant, Miss Gill, is a real beauty. Today, I finally get to see it for myself!"

The man grinned, his face full of wrinkles, his suggestive look scanning her up and down.

Ignoring his blatant stare, Katherine took the glass from his hand, suppressing her disgust. "Mr. Alfred, you're too kind."

With that, she tilted her head back and downed the drink in one go.

"Hahaha, I like your style, Miss Gill! Please, have a seat!" The man supported Katherine's lower back, guiding her to sit down.

He pulled a chair close to hers and draped his arm over the back of her chair.

Under the table, his shoe-clad foot began to probe Katherine's calf.

Katherine maintained a polite smile, subtly moving her leg away while pouring wine for the man.

The male assistant who accompanied Katherine was squeezed into a corner, his face full of concern.

After several rounds of drinks, the people in the private room were somewhat intoxicated.

Katherine was slightly tipsy but remained clear-headed.

She spoke up," Mr. Alfred, shall we sign the contract first?"

"Oh dear!" The man slapped his forehead, his breath reeking of alcohol. "Miss Gill, my mind is a mess; I left the contract in my room!"

He sat up straight, moving his hand from the back of Katherine's chair to her shoulder, lightly patting it.

"How about this, you accompany me to get it?"

The room fell silent instantly.

The men watched Katherine with ill intentions, waiting for her response.

Katherine paused briefly, still smiling," Alright."

As the man guided Katherine and left the room, it burst into chatter.

"I told you, she's not just Mr. Murphy's secretary. Who knows how many times she's been sent out by him?"

"But she really is beautiful, and her figure seems quite impressive."

"Hey, how long do you think Mr. Alfred will take? Hehehe~"

The male assistant couldn't bear it any longer. He snatched his phone, dialing frantically as he rushed out.

After three attempts, the call finally connected.

"Hello? Mr. Murphy, there's trouble! Katherine has been taken upstairs by Mr. Alfred from Evergreen Group!"

The assistant didn't notice the brief pause in breathing on the other end of the line and quickly recounted how Katherine was forced to drink and harassed during the dinner.

"Hello? Hello? Mr. Murphy, are you still listening? What should I do? Should I call the police?"

Silence from the other end.

After several seconds, Vincent's voice came through, devoid of emotion," No, don't jeopardize the deal."

The call ended.

The male assistant stared in shock at the phone screen after the call was abruptly disconnected. He hesitated for a few seconds, then quickly sprinted away.

He didn't know the room number of Alfred from the Evergreen Group, but Katherine had always been kind to him, and he couldn't just stand by and watch her be bullied.

Time seemed to stretch endlessly until the sudden wail of an ambulance siren pierced the air outside the hotel.

The male assistant was still at the front desk, trying to find the room number.

As he watched the medical staff rush past with a stretcher, his heart skipped a beat with a sense of dread, prompting him to quickly follow them.

The elevator stopped on the twenty-third floor.

The male assistant was the first to dash out, relieved to see Katherine standing in the hallway, her clothes neat and tidy. He breathed a sigh of relief.

The medical staff hurried past him towards Katherine.

She pointed towards the room and said something to them, prompting them to rush inside.

It wasn't long before Alfred was carried out, wearing a bathrobe, clutching his throat, struggling to breathe, his face was severely swollen.

As the medical staff hurriedly left with him, the male assistant stood in front of Katherine, wide-eyed, and asked," Katherine, what happened?"

Katherine replied," He had a severe allergic reaction to mangoes."

"Allergy? Didn't he know he was allergic?"

Katherine lowered her gaze, masking the brief chill in her eyes, and brushed off the remaining mango powder from her fingers, smiling without answering.

The male assistant asked again," What about the contract? Did you get it?"

Katherine raised the document bag in her hand.

The contract was already signed.

The next day, after ordering a bouquet of flowers to be sent to the hospital via her phone, Katherine and Bryson, the male assistant, boarded the car back to Sacford.

"Katherine, last night was terrifying! After you left, I quickly called Mr. Murphy... " Bryson stopped mid-sentence, suddenly realizing he had let something slip.

He quickly glanced at Katherine's expression.

As expected, her smile had become somewhat stiff.

So he knew?

The bitterness overwhelmed her, spreading through her body, making her fingertips tingle with discomfort.

The alcohol she drank last night began to take its toll, churning her stomach with waves of pain.

Seeing Katherine's face turn pale, Bryson realized he had misspoken and quickly turned his head to feign sleep.

Although he had only been in the job for less than six months, he had heard rumors about Katherine and Vincent's relationship.

Not long after Bryson pretended to sleep, he heard the sound of keyboard typing beside him.

Katherine was writing her resignation letter.

As her fingers tapped the keys, her thoughts drifted away.

Five years ago, she had just become Vincent's personal secretary.

Vincent took her to a dinner meeting, but midway through, he had to leave unexpectedly.

Just like last night, the partners at the table began to make advances, even attempting to take her, half-drunk, back to their room.

Vincent suddenly appeared and swiftly subdued the man, carrying her away.

At that time, her brother's surgery had just failed, and overwhelmed by emotions, she clung desperately to Vincent's suit collar and cried in his arms.

She remembered Vincent being very patient with her then, comforting her by saying," It's okay now, don't be afraid, this won't happen again."

That night marked the beginning of their absurd relationship, publicly as boss and subordinate, privately as lovers.

As she typed the final period, Katherine couldn't distinguish whether the pain was from her stomach or elsewhere; all she knew was that she felt unwell everywhere.

Before returning to the company, she forced herself to visit the pharmacy downstairs to buy painkillers.

"Take one at a time, and avoid alcohol after taking the medicine. Oh, and please avoid taking it if you're pregnant," the pharmacy clerk kindly reminded Katherine.

Pregnant?

Katherine's heart skipped a beat as she suddenly realized her period was three days overdue.

Her grip on the painkiller box tightened slightly," Could you also give me a pregnancy test, please?"