I pulled my hand back and walked back to my desk like nothing had happened, ignoring all the stares.

Just then, Chloe showed up with her assistant in tow.

She walked around the office and then, as if by accident, rested her hand on the back of my chair.

"I need you all to cooperate fully with Jason. If you do a good job, you can apply for an exchange program at one of our branch offices."

Everyone immediately got the message and started cozying up to Jason.

But they all knew how much I had sacrificed for this project.

I'd schmoozed clients until I drank myself into stomach bleeding.

It was my coworkers who had to carry me home.

And now some guy who parachuted in as team lead had taken everything.

Chloe gave me a long, meaningful look.

I'd have to be an idiot to think this wasn't on purpose.

But what she didn't know was that a headhunter had tried to poach me six months ago.

And that offer was still on the table.

After work, I called the CEO of that other company.

On the other end of the line, he sounded thrilled to hear from me.

"You can come by in a week to get familiar with the place. Don't worry about the penalty for breaking your contract, I can take care of that."

Ever since Chloe and I got together, I'd worked harder than ever.

I had a knack for turning dying projects around.

Over time, I'd naturally built up a solid list of clients.

And thanks to my help, Chloe's parents were starting to have faith in her again.

Right before quitting time, a coworker pulled me aside.

"Leo, that Jason guy is a complete dud. We're thinking of signing a petition to get you back on the project."

After just one day, my colleagues could already see something was wrong.

So much for his "plenty of experience."

The guy was clueless.

I just smiled. "I'm sure the boss has her reasons for the arrangement."

This particular client was notoriously difficult.

If Jason could actually pull it off, then I, Leo, would have nothing but respect for him.

As soon as I walked out of the office, I saw Chloe standing by the entrance.

"Ms. Zhuo, it's after hours."

I put some distance between us.

Chloe jutted her chin toward a car parked at the curb.

"I'm here to take you to dinner."

Then Jason popped up out of nowhere.

"Leo, I think we have some misunderstandings between us. We should probably clear the air."

"There are no misunderstandings between us."

I tried to walk around him, but Chloe grabbed my sleeve.

"Are you going to keep this up? If you break up with me, I'm not giving you the house back!"

I didn't even bother giving her a second glance.

I'd told her the house was an engagement gift, but now that things were off, my lawyer said I still had a good chance of getting it back.

Jason stepped in front of Chloe, blocking her.

"He's acting like this before you're even married? Imagine how controlling he'd be later."

He acted like I was invisible, lecturing Chloe right in front of my face.

People were coming and going from the office, and our little scene was starting to draw a crowd.

"Isn't that Leo and Ms. Zhuo? Who's that guy with them?"

Hearing that, Chloe finally realized how bad this looked and let go of my arm.

"Do you really have to make things so ugly?"

Just then, a cab pulled up.

I got in and left without looking back.

The hotel was comfortable, but it wasn't a long-term solution.

I spent the entire night online before I found a decent apartment.

While scrolling, I happened to open TikTok and saw Jason's account.

He had filmed a brilliant fireworks display through a pane of glass.

And in the reflection, you could see Chloe's silhouette.

The ring on her finger was blinding.